Senior and home health care for someone who is homebound is a topic families are discussing more and more. People in need of elder care or companionship can do so much better in their home environment. Since a person who cares for your loved one will spend a significant amount of time contributing to the resident’s quality of life and security, here are five important things you must do when selecting a home health care company.
1.Spend time making a list of all your loved one’s needs.
It is important to be prepared not only with what you your most essential needsare but also with information pertaining to someone’s schedule, abilities, medications and anything, in particular, that must be incorporated into the day for in-home private healthcare. Does the person who needs help speak a specific language? Do they have symptoms of dementia that make it difficult to communicate? Is the resident hearing impaired? Do they have a hard time understanding someone with an accent or anyone at all? This information will be essential to everyone’s quality of life when we move down to the following items.
2. Ensure the home health care agency provides what your loved one requires.
Some agencies provide high and medium levels of nursing care and will not take on the role of housekeeping, cooking, bathing, or companionship. You don’t want to assume or be surprised when some basic needs have not been attended to, because certain things are not part of nursing. The job needs to be filled by someone glad to take on all required tasks. And – you want an agency that answers its phone 24 hours per day / 7 days per week.
3. Try to involve the person being cared for in decision-making.
It can be very empowering for the senior or patient to have a say in how they run their own lives. You may have the best intentions and think that you know better – and you may. However, engaging the person who will be on the receiving end of care will make it easier for them to accept the help provided. The decision becomes theirs, making all the difference in a positive outcome.
4. Find testimonials or reviews about the agency.
Do your homework. Find out how home health care agencies screen and confirm their prospective home care workers for private home health care. Do they check into qualifications and backgrounds? Do agencies take responsibility for the person they send to your home? Is the person a full-time or a contract employee? Do they have insurance? Does the agency shuffle care workers around, or do they have the ability to find a dedicated long-term helper for your loved one? Do “carers” have special training?
Many more questions can be answered by asking for referrals from other families. Ask for a list, not just one or two names. Then you can choose whom to contact.
5. Speak with care providers themselves.
You should know whether they enjoy their work and what some of their prior patients or seniors needed daily. You can interview the person to see if they are interested in the elder. Do they enjoy private home health care? Does the person seem confident and engaged? What is their family situation? Does the person have small children or other responsibilities that could cause conflict? How would they approach a care plan? How would they evaluate and manage an emergency?
We hope this information helps you and your loved one decide on the very best care.