What a nurse registry does
A nurse registry keeps a list of licensed and certified caregivers, checks their credentials and backgrounds, and introduces them to families who need care at home. In Florida, nurse registries are licensed and inspected by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
For your family, Guardian Care:
- Screens caregivers, including a Level-2 FBI background check
- Verifies each caregiver's license or certificate (RN, LPN, CNA, or HHA)
- Learns what the day looks like and what kind of help is needed
- Introduces caregivers whose skills and temperament fit
- Introduces someone else if the fit is not right
- Arranges changes to the schedule when your needs change
You meet and choose your caregiver
You meet the caregiver before care begins, and you decide whether they are the right person. If at any point it is not working, call us and we will introduce someone else.
Caregivers are independent contractors
Under Florida law (section 400.506, Florida Statutes), a caregiver referred by a nurse registry is an independent contractor, not an employee of the registry. The law also says a nurse registry may not monitor, supervise, manage, or train the caregivers it refers.
In day-to-day terms: the caregiver works with you directly, using their own professional judgment, and you tell them how your household runs. Guardian Care is there for the matching, for introductions, for scheduling changes, and whenever you want to talk something through.
Medical care and your physician
The care arranged through Guardian Care is private care at home: help with daily living, companionship, overnight presence, and nursing skills where the caregiver is licensed for them. Medical decisions stay with your physician. Tell us about any doctor's orders and we will match a caregiver with the right credential.
How care is paid for
Families pay privately, and many use long-term care insurance or VA benefits. Guardian Care bills you directly. Rates are set out in a written agreement before care begins, and our starting rates are published here.
Check our license
Guardian Care Medical Services LLC holds AHCA License #30213255. You can look up any licensed provider in Florida on the state's own site, FloridaHealthFinder.gov.
If you have a concern
Call us first at 561-985-9997, any time of day. You can also contact the state directly:
- AHCA consumer complaint line: 1-888-419-3456
- Florida Abuse Hotline, to report abuse, neglect, or exploitation: 1-800-962-2873
In an emergency, always call 911.