Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter in Home Care
- Candyce Slusher
- Oct 24, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 11
Diversity and Inclusion and Ethnicity can become a topic of conversation with your clients and in order to protect your agency, your caregiving staff, and sometimes even your clients, when this topic comes up it needs to be addressed head on.
Discrimination Is Not Acceptable—Period
If a client discriminates against you or your staff based on ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, religion, or appearance, you do not have to serve them. Other agencies may tolerate it, but you have every right to say, "We don’t work with prejudice, and this isn’t going to work for us." Your responsibility is to protect your staff and ensure they aren’t placed in an uncomfortable or unsafe situation. It’s 2023—discrimination has no place in home care.
When Exceptions Apply
The only time you might make an exception is with a client who has dementia. If a family mentions that their loved one has started making inappropriate comments due to cognitive decline, take the time to understand the situation. A simple phrase like, "We match caregivers based on skill, availability, and personality—regardless of race or background. Is that okay with you?" can help gauge where they stand. If the client has always been prejudiced, you’re under no obligation to accommodate them. But if their behavior stems from dementia, you’ll need to determine if your staff can handle the case comfortably. If you can’t staff it appropriately, it’s okay to walk away.
Spot the Red Flags
When discussing caregiver preferences, listen carefully. A client might say they prefer someone “outgoing” or “quiet,” which is fine. But if they specify ethnicity, gender, or other inappropriate factors, that’s a red flag. Don’t ignore it. Placing a caregiver in a hostile environment—where they might face verbal abuse, insults, or discomfort—isn’t worth the risk. Protect your team and your agency from potential backlash or legal trouble.
Other Inappropriate Behavior
Dementia-related behaviors aren’t just about prejudice. Clients may also act in sexually inappropriate ways. While some behaviors can be managed with training, no caregiver should ever feel unsafe or disrespected. If a client crosses the line, the situation needs to be addressed.
Trust Your Instincts
Families may downplay past incidents by saying, "It only happened once." But if every time you send an ethnic caregiver the client complains or an "incident" occurs, that’s a pattern. Address red flags early rather than dealing with bigger problems later.
Diversity and inclusion matter. You’re here to provide care for everyone—but not at the cost of your staff’s dignity and safety.
A lot of these conversations feel uncomfortable because they require honesty, boundaries, and a little courage. Most agencies run into tricky client situations at some point, and it helps to have a clear plan for how to respond. Some of the same communication skills used in handling difficult client conversations translate directly into navigating bias or inappropriate requests. When your team knows what to say and how to say it, everyone feels more supported.
You will also notice that situations involving discrimination often connect to larger safety concerns. If a client is already behaving unpredictably or disrespectfully, these issues can escalate. It is why ongoing awareness, much like the mindset behind recognizing safety risks in the home care environment, is so important. When staff feel confident calling out unsafe or uncomfortable behavior, they are more protected and more empowered.
And while you can train for a lot of these situations, agencies also benefit from having strong internal systems that back up their decisions. Policies, documentation habits, and clear communication channels give you a place to stand when you need to take action. This is the same idea behind staying organized for responsibilities like survey readiness and agency reviews. When your team knows exactly how to document what is happening, it is much easier to step in quickly and make the right call.
At the end of the day, dealing with bias or inappropriate behavior is not just about following rules. It is about protecting your caregivers, reinforcing your values, and setting the tone for the kind of agency you want to run. Small conversations early on make everything safer for everyone involved.
Need a Diversity & Inclusion Policy for your home care agency? Click below to get yours for free!
I hope that this is helpful for you and also hope that this enables you to have that tough conversation if you have to. But I also hope you never have to!
Please reach out if you have any questions. candyce@slusherconsulting.com
Click below for this video on:
Thank you MS. Candice, I review, caregiver training & diversity in home care, they were good presentation. I am still in quest of my Adminis-assistant/office manager. This slow my activities. I am doing my best. Thank you for the presentation.