How to Find Your First Home Care Clients

November 9, 2026 Alyssa Kay

You've registered your business, written your policies and hired your first caregiver. Now the phone needs to ring. Finding your first few clients is usually the hardest part of starting a home care agency, and it's where most new owners spend money on the wrong things. Here's what actually works.

First, know who you're looking for

Your client is often not the person receiving care. It's usually an adult daughter or son, a spouse, or a professional who's trying to help. They're often stressed, short on time and looking for someone they can trust quickly. Everything you do should make it easy for them to call you and feel confident.

Before you start, get clear on:

The services you offer (personal care, companionship, respite, overnight, nursing)
The area you cover
Your minimum visit length and rates
How fast you can start a new client

1. Build referral partners (your best source of clients)

In my experience, most clients come through people who already work with seniors and families. These relationships take time, but one good referral partner can send you clients for years. Start a list of:

Hospital discharge planners and social workers
Family doctors' offices and nurse practitioners
Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and foot care clinics
Retirement residences (residents often need extra help)
Pharmacies
Estate and elder law lawyers, financial planners and accountants
Faith communities, seniors' centres and community organizations

Make contact by phone or in person, keep it short, and leave something useful behind, like a one-page sheet listing your services and how quickly you can start. Then follow up. Most referrals come after the third or fourth contact, not the first.

2. Set up your Google Business Profile

When a family needs help, they search "home care near me." Your free Google Business Profile is what shows up on the map. Fill in every section: services, service area, hours, photos and a clear description. Ask every happy client for a review, and reply to every review you get.

3. Make your website do one job

Your website doesn't need to be fancy. It needs to tell a worried family, in a few seconds, what you do, where you do it and how to reach you. Put your phone number at the top of every page. Add a short "About us" with a real photo of you, because families want to know who they're trusting.

4. Pick up the phone

Cold calling feels uncomfortable, but a short, friendly call to a clinic or residence can open doors faster than months of social media posts. The trick is to have a plan for the call: who you're asking for, what you'll say in the first 15 seconds, and what you'll ask for (a meeting, a chance to drop off information, or permission to follow up).

Our free Cold Call Worksheet walks you through it step by step, so you're not making it up on the spot.

5. Show up in your community

Offer a free talk at a seniors' centre, library or faith community (for example, "How to plan for care at home")
Join your local chamber of commerce or a business networking group
Attend caregiver support events and health fairs
List your agency in local seniors' directories

6. Turn first clients into your best marketing

Your first clients matter more than any ad. Call within 24 hours of the first visit to check in, fix problems fast, and keep families updated. Happy families tell their friends, their doctors and their neighbours, and they leave the reviews that bring in your next clients.

What to skip at the start

Expensive paid ads before your Google profile, website and referral list are in place
Trying every social platform at once. Pick one you'll actually keep up with.
Discounting your rates to win clients. It attracts price shoppers and is hard to undo.

A simple first-90-days plan

Weeks 1–2: set up your Google profile and website, and build a list of 30 local referral partners.
Weeks 3–8: contact 5 referral partners a week, by phone or in person. Track every contact.
Weeks 4–12: follow up with everyone on your list, book one community talk, and ask every client for a review.

A note for U.S. readers

The same approach works in the U.S. Discharge planners, case managers and senior living communities are strong referral sources there too. Check your state's rules on marketing and referral arrangements before you set up any partnerships.