Fact Sheets Home Health Care

Home health care helps the elderly live independently as long as possible, given the limits of their health. It covers a wide range of services and can often delay the need for long-term care nursing home.

More specifically, home health care may include occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy, and even skilled nursing. This may include support to the elderly with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing and eating. Or it may include assistance for cooking, cleaning and other household tasks, and monitoring one's daily regimen of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

At this point, it is important to understand the difference between home health and home care services. Although they sound the same (and home health care may include some services for home care), home health care is more medically oriented. While home care typically involves work and housecleaning services, home health care usually involves helping seniors recover from illness or injury. That is why people who care health centers are often licensed practical nurses, therapists, or home health aides. Most work for home health agencies, hospitals, or public health departments that are licensed by the state.

How to make sure that the Home Health Care is the quality of care?
As with any important purchase, it is always a good idea to talk with friends, neighbors, and your local area agency on aging to find out more about home health agencies in your community.
Looking for a home health agency, the following 20 questions can be used to guide Search:

1. How long has the agency has been serving this community?
2. Does the agency have printed brochures describing the services offered and how much does it cost? If so, get one.
3. the agency has approved Medicare provider?
4. is the quality of care certified by a national accrediting body such as the Joint Commission on accreditation of healthcare organizations?
5. Does the agency have a current license to practice (if required in the state where you live)?
6. Does the agency offer seniors "Patients' Bill of Rights" that describes the rights and obligations of both agencies and senior care about the
7. Does the agency write a plan of care for the patient (with input from the patient, his or her doctor and family), and update the plan as necessary?
8. Does the care plan review of the patient during treatment, describing the specific tasks to be performed by each caregiver?
9. How do supervisor closely monitored care to ensure quality?
10. Will agency caregivers to family members informed about the type of care your loved one has everything?
11. agencies have staff available around the clock, seven days a week, if necessary?
12. Does the agency have a nursing supervisor available to provide assistance on call 24 hours a day?
13. How does the agency ensure patient confidentiality?
14. How is the agency employed caregivers trained?
15. What is the process for solving problems in which they occur, and who can call with questions or complaints?
16. How to handle collection agencies?
17. There is a sliding fee schedule based on ability to pay, and financial assistance available to pay for services?
18. will give the agency a list of references for its caregivers?
19. who call the agency if a home health worker can not come when scheduled?
20. Which type of employee screening is done?

When you buy a home health services directly from the individual (rather than through agencies), it is important to screen the person thoroughly. This should include a discussion with a home health caregiver to make sure that he or she is qualified for the job. You should request references. Also, prepare for the interview to make the list if the special needs of senior may have. For example, if you want to keep in mind is to help elderly patients should be getting into or out of a wheelchair. Clearly, if this is the case, home health caregiver must be able to provide that help. The screening process will go easier if you have a better idea of ​​what you are looking for in the first place.

Another thing to remember is that it always helps to look ahead, anticipate changing needs, and a backup plan for special situations. Since every employee occasionally takes time off (or break), it is unrealistic to assume that a home health care worker will always be around to provide care. Seniors or family members who hire home health workers directly May want to consider interviewing other part-time or on call person who can be available when the primary caregiver can not be. Calling the agency for temporary respite care can also help to solve this problem (see fact sheet respite care for more information on these services).

In any case, to arrange for home health care through the agency or hire an independent home health care aide on an individual basis, it helps to spend some time preparing for the person who will do the job. Ideally, you can spend a day with him or her before the job formally begins, to discuss what will be included in the daily routine. If nothing else, say, home health care services (both orally and in writing) after he or she should know about the senior: