Welcome to Smith Premier Home Care, LLC. This online course is Part 1 of your initial caregiver orientation. Before your first client assignment, you must complete five hours of initial training: Part 1 is two hours of online orientation and a final knowledge assessment, and Part 2 is three hours of in-person instruction and competency evaluation. An additional five hours of initial training and a second competency evaluation are required within the first 30 days of employment. Complete the lessons, pass the final assessment with a score of at least 80%, and follow the agency policies and your assigned service plan.
Final knowledge assessment: 20 questions; passing score 80% or higher.
Smith Premier Home Care, LLC is a licensed non-medical home care agency based in Chicago, Illinois. Our mission is: To provide premier non-medical home care that honors the dignity of every client, supports every family, and sets the standard for compassionate service in Chicago and across Illinois.
As a caregiver for Smith Premier Home Care, you represent our agency in every client interaction. Our clients and their families are trusting us with their most precious loved ones. That trust must be earned and protected every single day.
Compassion: We treat every client like family.
Dignity: We respect each individual and their unique journey.
Excellence: We are committed to the highest standard of care.
Trust: We build confidence through honesty, consistency, and dependability.
Respect: We value our clients, families, and caregivers.
Integrity: We do what's right, always.
To be recognized throughout Chicago and beyond as a premier home care agency, distinguished by compassionate service, exceptional caregivers, and an unwavering commitment to dignity, independence, and quality of life.
Non-medical home care means providing assistance with daily living activities and personal support — without performing any clinical, medical, or skilled nursing procedures. Our caregivers help clients live comfortably and safely in their own homes.
Services you ARE authorized to provide:
You must NEVER perform skilled nursing tasks, administer medications, provide wound care, give injections, perform clinical assessments, or provide any service that requires a licensed medical provider. If a client or family asks you to do something medical, politely explain that it is outside your scope and contact your supervisor immediately.
Every client has an individualized Service Plan developed by the agency. This document outlines exactly which services are authorized for that specific client. You must:
As an employee of Smith Premier Home Care, LLC, you are expected to:
A client's condition changes — A client or family member asks you to do something outside your scope — You observe safety concerns in the home — You experience or witness any incident, accident, or concern — You are unsure whether something is within your role.
Every client receiving services from Smith Premier Home Care, LLC has the following rights. These are not suggestions — they are legal rights protected under Illinois law and agency policy.
Smith Premier Home Care maintains a zero-tolerance policy for abuse, neglect, exploitation, harassment, intimidation, or any conduct that threatens a client's safety or dignity. Violation of this policy will result in immediate termination and mandatory reporting to IDPH.
Everything you see, hear, and experience in a client's home is strictly confidential. This includes:
Never discuss client information with family members outside the service, friends, or on social media. Violations of client confidentiality may result in termination and legal consequences.
Always knock before entering a room. Always explain what you are doing before you do it. Always address clients by their preferred name. Never talk about a client as if they are not in the room. These simple practices are the foundation of dignified care.
Many of our clients are elderly or have health conditions that make them more vulnerable to infections. A simple cold that you recover from in a few days could be life-threatening to a client. Your infection prevention practices protect the people in your care.
Smith Premier Home Care follows infection prevention guidance from three required sources: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Proper handwashing is your most powerful tool against infection. You must wash your hands:
1. Wet hands with clean water. 2. Apply soap and lather for at least 20 seconds — scrub all surfaces including between fingers and under nails. 3. Rinse thoroughly. 4. Dry with a clean paper towel. 5. Use the towel to turn off the faucet. When soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol and rub until completely dry.
Standard precautions means treating all body fluids as potentially infectious. Use protective supplies when appropriate:
Always put on gloves before beginning personal care and remove them properly without touching the outside. Wash hands immediately after removing gloves.
If you are ill, you must notify the agency before your shift. Do not go to a client's home if you have:
Going to a client's home while sick can be life-threatening to vulnerable clients. Contact your supervisor immediately if you develop symptoms. The agency will arrange coverage.
When you arrive at a client's home, observe the environment for safety concerns. Report these to your supervisor:
To protect yourself from injury when assisting clients with mobility or transfers:
If you are injured on the job, report it to your supervisor immediately, no matter how minor it seems.
In any emergency involving a client, follow this order of priority:
If a client is unconscious, not breathing, having a stroke or heart attack, choking severely, or in immediate physical danger — call 911 before calling the agency. Emergency services are always your first call in a life-threatening situation.
An incident is any unexpected event that involves or could affect a client's safety, wellbeing, or the agency's operations. You must report ALL incidents to your supervisor immediately — even if no one was hurt. This includes:
When in doubt — report it. It is always better to report something that turns out to be minor than to fail to report something that turns out to be serious.
As a caregiver for Smith Premier Home Care, LLC, you are a mandated reporter. Illinois law imposes direct reporting duties in specified circumstances, and agency policy requires you to promptly raise and report suspected abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. Do not assume that notifying only the agency satisfies a required external report.
You must report if you suspect:
If you reasonably suspect abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation involving an adult served by Illinois Adult Protective Services, promptly call Illinois APS at 1-866-800-1409 and notify the Administrator. Do not wait for proof or investigate on your own. Reporting to the Administrator does not replace a required direct report. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911 first. For suspected child abuse or other situations outside APS jurisdiction, use the appropriate reporting authority and follow applicable mandatory-reporting requirements. Document what you observed.
Illinois law provides protections to individuals who report suspected abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation in good faith.
Reporting in good faith means making an honest report based on a genuine concern or reasonable suspicion, even when abuse has not been proven.
You do not need to investigate or obtain proof before reporting. Illinois law also prohibits employer retaliation against employees who make good-faith reports.
Always follow required reporting procedures and promptly notify the appropriate reporting authority and agency management.
ADLs are the routine activities people do every day. As a caregiver, you may be authorized to assist clients with some or all of the following, as specified in their individual service plan:
Only perform ADL assistance that is explicitly listed in the client's service plan. If a client asks you to do something not in their plan, contact your supervisor before proceeding.
77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.71(e)(4) requires specific training on each of the following ADL tasks. This section names each one individually so there is no ambiguity about what is and is not within a home services worker's scope. Detailed task-by-task limits for each are set out in 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.40(c)(4)(A)–(P), summarized in the task list below.
If a client's needs for any of these tasks appear to exceed what is described here — for example, active wound care, a mechanical lift you have not been evaluated on, or feeding a client with swallowing difficulty — stop and contact your supervisor before proceeding. These situations may require a home health or home nursing agency instead.
Some clients may have hearing loss, vision impairment, cognitive decline, dementia, speech difficulties, or language barriers. Here is how to communicate effectively:
Clients with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia require a calm, patient, and structured approach. Key practices include:
Accurate documentation is a professional and regulatory requirement. You must document your visits honestly and thoroughly. Documentation may include:
Never falsify documentation. Never document services you did not provide. Never backdate or alter visit records. Falsification of records is grounds for immediate termination and may result in legal consequences.
Your professionalism reflects on Smith Premier Home Care, LLC and on every client and family we serve. You are expected to:
Smith Premier Home Care was built on the belief that every senior deserves to feel seen, respected, and genuinely cared for — not just checked on. Everything you do in a client's home either honors that standard or falls short of it. We ask you to honor it every single visit.
Answer all questions. You need 80% or higher to pass. Read each question carefully.