How do I keep new caregivers past the first 90 days?
Over a quarter of caregivers leave in the first 90 days, so the first weeks matter most. Set clear expectations before the first client, train before she is alone, check in after her first visits, and give her steady hours. Home Care Pulse also advises thanking caregivers in a planned way, not by accident.
Home Care Pulse reports that more than 25% of home care caregivers leave within their first 90 days. A 2017 Home Health Care News report on the same research adds that many leave because they did not understand the job.
A plain first-90-days plan:
- Before day one: tell her the pay, the schedule, the clients’ needs, and what you expect. Put it in writing.
- Before the first client: finish training and competency checks. Do not send her alone to a task she has not been checked on.
- First visits: call her after the first visit and again after the first week. Ask what was hard.
- First month: give her steady hours with a small group of clients, not a new house every day.
- Day 30, 60 and 90: a short check-in. Ask what is working and what is not.
- Say thank you in a planned way, such as a note from the owner after a hard week.
None of this needs a big budget. It needs a calendar reminder and a person who follows through.
These numbers come from industry research groups, not government data, so treat them as a guide.
How CareBravo® helps
CareBravo schedules shifts in ways that keep a new caregiver with the same clients, and Training is one of the nine jobs, so she is checked before she is alone.
Sources
- Why Caregivers Stay: Retaining Caregivers Beyond 90 Days · Home Care Pulse
- How home care companies can get caregivers to ’stay’ · Home Health Care News (July 2017)
Reviewed by Beth Bledsoe, Care Business Advisor®, 28 Oct 2026. Rules change. Confirm with your state Medicaid agency before you act.
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