Approved for home care? With client-directed care, you choose who provides it.
Your home care case manager (Assisted Living Alberta, formerly AHS Home Care) assesses your needs and approves your hours. On client-directed care (CDHCI), you choose the provider. Pick #1 Right Care: a caregiver who fits your family, your schedule and your language — and we bill Alberta Blue Cross directly for the approved care we provide. Not assessed yet? We'll explain the steps.
Three steps — and we do the third one for you
You get a home care assessment
Call us at 587.443.1888 and we'll guide you, or call your area's home care intake line (below). You can refer yourself — no doctor's referral is needed. Your case manager decides your hours and whether client-directed care (CDHCI) suits you — you can ask for it. Already approved for CDHCI? Skip to step 2.
You pick #1 Right Care
Once your case manager approves client-directed care, Alberta Blue Cross sends you a letter with your hours and start date. Choose #1 Right Care — we're on the Alberta Blue Cross provider map as “# 1 Right Care” — and share that letter with us. Not sure what to ask your case manager? Send us the form below and we'll explain before you call.
We bill Blue Cross directly
We invoice Alberta Blue Cross only for the approved care we provide, and give you a copy of every claim statement. You direct the care; we handle the billing.
Not sure which line, or what to say? Call us first at 587.443.1888. 811 (Health Link) can also connect you from anywhere in Alberta.
Home care intake lines — call one of these to ask for an assessment:
- Edmonton area — 780-496-1300
- Calgary area — 403-943-1920 or toll-free 1-888-943-1920
- Red Deer and Central Alberta — 1-855-371-4122
- Lethbridge area — 403-388-6380 or toll-free 1-866-388-6380
Why families choose us
- A real coordinator, not a call centre. One person knows your file, your caregiver and your family.
- Matched on language and personality. Tagalog, Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, French and more — tell us what you speak.
- Your approved hours, on your schedule. Personal care, respite for family caregivers (day, evening or overnight), and homemaking when your case manager includes it.
- Flexible on the day. Not up for a shower today? Your caregiver can help with other care in your approved plan instead, like dressing or exercises. You direct each visit, within the care and hours your case manager approved.
Which home-care funding model are you on?
Whichever option you're on, your case manager decides eligibility and hours. What can change is who delivers your care. The main options in Alberta:
Arranged by your case manager
Home care's own staff, or an agency that home care contracts with, provides your care. You don't choose the company or, usually, the caregiver.
Client-directed — CDHCI (this page)
You choose a provider registered with Alberta Blue Cross — #1 Right Care, for example — and the provider bills Alberta Blue Cross for your approved hours. You schedule and direct the care; your case manager still sets the hours.
Self-managed
You receive the funds and arrange your own care — hiring staff yourself or contracting an agency — and account for how the funds are spent.
Why families move to client-directed care
Families ask for client-directed care for many reasons:
- Choosing your care provider. Caregivers who speak your language and understand your culture.
- More say over the schedule. You schedule and direct the care yourself, without taking on a self-managed care contract.
- Care the usual arrangement can't easily cover. Short-term intensive needs, coming home from hospital, waiting for a continuing care placement, end-of-life care, overnight needs, or living where home care services are hard to arrange.
- A real break for the family. Respite that gives family caregivers a meaningful rest.
- Freedom to change. On CDHCI you can switch providers at any time.
Your case manager decides whether client-directed care suits your situation and how many hours you're approved for. It's meant for people in their own home — it generally isn't available in a lodge, assisted or supportive living, or a group home — and you, or someone you choose such as a family member, need to be able to direct the care.
Tired of no-shows, last-minute cancellations, or a different face every week?
Already on CDHCI? Program rules let you switch providers at any time. If your case manager arranges your care today, ask them whether client-directed care suits you — the decision is theirs. Either way, you make the call to your case manager. We'll help you prepare, and we're ready to start as soon as your approval is in place.
- A regular caregiver matched to you, and a backup who works from the same care plan — consistency is the whole point.
- A coordinator who answers the phone and confirms every visit.
- We explain what to ask your case manager before you call.
Choose #1 Right Care in two minutes
Leave your details and a coordinator calls you back within the hour. We'll go over your approval letter and care plan with you and, once your CDHCI approval is in place, set up the first visit. No obligation.
What is Client Directed Home Care Invoicing (CDHCI)?
A publicly funded home care option. Your home care case manager assesses you, approves your hours and decides whether client-directed care suits you. You then choose a provider registered with Alberta Blue Cross, and the provider bills Alberta Blue Cross directly. You, or someone you choose such as a family member, direct the care; your case manager sets the hours. It's for people living in their own home — it generally isn't available in a lodge, assisted or supportive living, or a group home. #1 Right Care is registered to invoice Alberta Blue Cross for approved CDHCI hours.
Do I pay anything?
Approved hours are paid by Alberta Blue Cross on the province's behalf — you are not invoiced for them. Our visits are at least 2 hours, as shown on our Alberta Blue Cross listing, and the program doesn't add hours to meet a visit minimum. If your care plan has shorter visits, or you want extra hours, we'll work out the schedule with you and put any cost in writing before care starts.
I haven't been assessed yet — can you help?
Yes. Call us at 587.443.1888 and we'll walk you through it, or call your area's home care intake line directly: Edmonton 780-496-1300, Calgary 403-943-1920, Red Deer and Central Alberta 1-855-371-4122, Lethbridge 403-388-6380. You can refer yourself. Program rules don't let a provider attend your assessment or guess how many hours you'll get; that is your case manager's decision. Once your hours are approved and your case manager agrees client-directed care suits you, you can choose us as your provider.
How fast can care start?
As soon as your CDHCI approval is in place and you have chosen us. We go over your care plan with you, meet you at home, and match a caregiver to your schedule and language.
Can I switch to #1 Right Care from another provider?
If you're already on CDHCI, yes — program rules let you change providers at any time. Tell your case manager you've chosen #1 Right Care, and we'll start as soon as your approval is in place. If your case manager arranges your care today, ask them whether client-directed care suits you; that decision is theirs. We'll explain what to ask first.
Can the caregiver do something different on the day?
Yes, within your approved care plan. If you'd rather skip the shower, your caregiver can help with other personal care your case manager approved, like dressing, help with eating, home exercises or medication assistance. Homemaking, like cleaning your bathroom or doing laundry, can be part of a visit if it's in your plan — it goes along with personal care or respite, not on its own. Each type of care has its own approved hours. You need to be home for the visit, and we record the time for each type of care, as the program requires.
Do you talk to my case manager for me?
No. On client-directed care, you or your family keep in touch with your case manager, and your case manager can't share your health information with us — so please share your care plan with us. Before you call, we'll explain what to ask. Let your case manager know if your needs change, you'll be away, or you go into hospital (CDHCI doesn't cover care while you're in hospital, and your case manager has to confirm your CDHCI again before visits restart). If we notice a change, we'll tell you so you can raise it with them.
Is my case manager with AHS or Assisted Living Alberta?
Home care has moved from Alberta Health Services to Assisted Living Alberta. Your letters and the Alberta Blue Cross website may still say AHS — either way, it's the same home care case manager and the same program.
You've done the hard part. You direct the care; we provide it and handle the billing.
Approved for client-directed care? Choose #1 Right Care and share your approval letter with us. Questions first? Send us the form above and a coordinator will call you back.
Choose #1 Right Care