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Understanding Visit Tasks

Get familiar with what types of visit tasks Pals can do and what they should not be doing.

Papa Pal helping a Papa member with a computer task.

One of the best ways for you to be successful with Papa is to understand what types of tasks you will be doing. Below is a comprehensive list of visit tasks, including what you should not be doing.  

For even more details on the types of tasks Papa Pals can help with, check out our Service Scope Guidelines.

Companionship

Companionship is at the core of every visit and includes mostly activities that provide emotional support or socialization.

Companionship related visit task list. Includes: playing board games, watching movie/TV show, Discussing books/movies/music/hobbies/new, sharing thoughts or feelings, talking about past experiences Excludes: providing professional advice, any physical contact such as bathing, toileting, dressing, or discussion of topics that either party feels uncomfortable with

House Tasks

These visits involve assisting members with household tasks that are necessary for maintaining a comfortable living environment. These tasks may be difficult for some members due to limited mobility or physical limitations. 

House task list. Includes: light cleaning, laundry, meal prepping, organizing, light gardening, identifying safety hazards Excludes: Deep cleaning, landscaping work, power tool usage, lifting more than 20 lbs, cleaning soiled items, usage of high ladders

Transportation and Errands

Some visits tasks involve transportation and running errands. You should call the member to confirm the transportation/errand details, including whether or not the member will be present and if they are asking you to stay or join them at a particular location. 

Transportation task list. Includes: Drop off/pick up of prepaid items, one-way or roundtrip Excludes: Emergency medical transportation, paying for purchases personally, filling prescriptions yourself, driving a wheel-chair accessible vehicle, entering the exam room with a member, picking up oversized items or controlled drugs

NOTE: Papa Pals can transport other companions, as long as the member is present and the vehicle can safely fit all passengers. If the member is not present, Papa Pals are not permitted to drive anyone else.

Grocery Shopping

These visits may take place with or without a member.

Grocery shopping task list. Includes: Following a grocery list, grocery pick up/drop off, loading/unloading groceries, putting away groceries Excludes: Paying personally for groceries, purchase of alcohol or nicotine products

Health Reminders

These types of tasks refer to reminders set by the member’s health insurance plan (the service offering the Papa benefit) to ensure any issues are taken care of promptly. We ask Pals to follow the reminders shown in the Papa Pal app to help members stay healthy and take advantage of their health plan benefits.

Health reminders related tasks. Includes: helping member schedule an annual wellness check, checking that the member can take and access their medication, reminding the member to get their eyes checked Excludes: setting up pill boxes, handing over medication, touching medication in any way, knowing specific member benefit details

Pet Help

Pet help task list. Includes: Pet walking, playing games with pet, refilling water/food, cleaning litter box or scooping up debris, scheduling pet appointments or pick up/drop off Excludes: grooming pet yourself, purchasing pet items personally, administering medications to the pet, assistance to reactive or aggressive pets

Tech Help

Tech help task list. Includes: Helping set up a smartphone or social media account, teaching how to download apps/send texts/make video calls, identifying daily needs and set up online services, scheduling/attending/assisting with Telehealth appointments Excludes: Advanced technical help a professional would help with, fixing broken appliances, building a website

Exercise

Exercise task list. Includes: Join them for a walk, attending classes with member, assisting with exercises provided by physical therapist, encouraging them to do light exercises Excludes: any professional advice a personal trainer would provide, high-intensity physical activity, providing your own workout equipment

Child and Parental Support

Child and parental support task list. Includes: meal preparation, taking a stroll to the park, engaging in child-friendly activities, providing oversight during homework time Excludes: supervising more than two children, assisting children under the age of three, diaper changing or bathroom assistance, high-intensity physical activity, professional tutoring

IMPORTANT

  • Children must be over the age of three.
  • At least one parent or guardian is required to be present in the home.
  • Children must be toilet-trained or the parent should be available in the home for immediate bathroom assistance.
  • The parent is strictly responsible for both providing and installing a car seat or car booster, as required by local law.
  • One Papa Pal may only watch up to two children.

New: Assessments

For visits with this task, you will complete an in-home assessment or survey with members to help get them the support they need. Support materials will be provided by Papa to guide you through the assessment process.

Assessment tasks include: completing all assessments available within the Papa Pal app with the member during the visit, obtaining consent before entering any area of the home while completing the assessment

Health Plan-Specific Restrictions

Health plans may have restrictions on how their members can be supported. As an example, some plans don't offer transportation to their members.

It's important to be aware of and follow these restrictions. You can see which tasks are not allowed for members by checking the "Disallowed In-Person Tasks" section on the visit screen of the Papa Pal app.

If a member requests assistance with a task listed in the "Disallowed In-Person Tasks" section, it is considered an unapproved task for the member. For guidance on how to respond when a member requests an unapproved task, visit this guide.

For your reference, you can find what each task icon stands for on the home screen of your Papa Pal app.

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