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 Home care
encompasses a wide variety of services including hospice care, physical therapy,
short-term assistance after hospital stays, and assistance with bathing
and dressing. In addition, home care agencies may provide
rehabilitation and therapeutic care for the elderly or people with
disabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose a home care provider?
It's important to know where to look for
information and what questions to ask so you select the right service and
pay a fair price.
Who should be involved in the process?
The person needing care, as well as their
family and physician, should all be involved in the decision making.
Where do I start?
Make a list of possible agencies: Start
by consulting your physician. He or she can help determine the
level of care you’ll need, and direct you to resources. Next,
call your state or local consumer affairs office to see if any complaints
have been filed against the home care agencies you’re
considering. Once you have narrowed down the choices, contact them
directly.
What should I find out about the company?
Ask about the agency's policies. First,
request references and check them. Ask if clients would use the
agency or home care worker again. Second, ask how often and what
kind of quality control checks are made by supervisors. Find out
how the agency follows up and resolves complaints and how they replace an
aide that clients find incompatible. Also make sure that the agency
has a system for sending out substitutes when aides are absent.
What should I ask about the aides?
Research the home care worker’s
qualifications. Check to be sure that the home care company bonds and
insures its workers. (A bond protects you in case of theft; and
workers’ compensation covers any injury to the aide that occurs on
your property.) If the agency doesn’t provide workers’
compensation coverage, make sure your homemaker’s insurance will be
adequate.
Also ask for your home care worker’s training
certificates—it’s important to verify that he/she has the
necessary skills. Confirm that the same home care worker will be
providing care on a regular basis and has reliable transportation.
Finally, listen to your instincts. If something doesn’t feel
right, keep delving.
How do I know that it’s time for
professional home care?
It’s usually apparent when a loved one
needs part-time help from a friend or relative. However, it may not be so
obvious when that loved one needs additional professional help.
Here are some of the signs that it may be time to consider hiring a
professional:
Is personal grooming slipping?
Your loved one has stopped bathing, brushing
teeth or dressing appropriately.
Are everyday activities becoming more
difficult?
Your loved one has given up doing everyday
activities; he or she no longer does laundry, washes dishes, goes grocery
shopping, talks on the telephone or pays bills; forgets to eat and take
medications; leaves the stove and other appliances on, creating safety
hazards in the home.
Do you see a change in emotional, mental or
physical conditions?
If he or she has a hard time remembering
names, situations and locations; begins to wander and gets lost easily;
has difficulty understanding others and becomes isolated; experiences
sudden mood swings; has a hard time making decisions; falls down
frequently, or has suffered a stroke or other major physical impairment.
Are you, the caregiver, overwhelmed?
You are late or absent from work, becoming
resentful of care-giving and spending less time with your children and/or
spouse.
For More Information
AARP -
a non-profit organization that advocates for older Americans' health,
rights, and life choices. http://www.aarp.org/
Alzheimer's Foundation
- a non-profit organization offering information and support services to
people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their families. The Association funds
research to find a cure for AD and provides information on care giving.
http://www.alz.org/mainpage.htm
Consumer Consortium on
Assisted Living - a national consumer advocacy organization
dedicated to the needs, rights, and protections of assisted living
consumers. http://www.ccal.org/
Direct Care Alliance
(DCA) --a national coalition of long-term care
consumers, direct-care workers, and healthcare providers who are working
towards reforms to ensure a stable, valued, and well-trained direct-care
workforce that can meet consumers' demands. http://www.directcarealliance.org
Family Caregiver
Alliance - a community-based non-profit organization
addressing the needs of families and friends providing long-term care at
home.
http://www.caregiver.org/
National Clearinghouse
on the Direct Care Workforce –a program that
provides access to government and research reports, news items, issue
briefs, fact sheets, and other information on topics such as recruitment,
career advancement, supervision, workplace culture, and innovative care
giving practices. http://www.directcareclearinghouse.org
Paraprofessional
Healthcare Institute- a non-profit that is addressing
the direct-care staffing crisis by creating innovations in provider
practice; building coalitions to support better public policies and
collecting and disseminating information about direct-care workforce
issues. http://www.paraprofessional.org
Pennsylvania Homecare
Association- as the Pennsylvania homecare industry's
association, PHA works with members, which include visiting nurse
associations, home health agencies, hospices and private duty agencies to
promote quality and affordable homecare. http://www.pahomecare.org
Pioneer Network
- a network of people dedicated to supporting elders and those who work
with them, including family members, administrators, nurses, certified
nursing assistants, resident assistants, physicians, social workers,
educators, researchers, ombudsmen, advocates, regulators and
architects.
http://www.pioneernetwork.net/
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