Choosing the right home care service for a family member can be a tough decision and one with far-reaching consequences for their health, happiness, and quality of life. Home care services provide support for people who are unable to live independently, because of old age, illness, or disability. They allow people to stay in their own homes instead of moving to institutional residential care, like a nursing home. This guide sets out the main considerations when choosing home care for a family member.
1. Assessing Care Needs
Determine Specific Needs
- Medical needs: Individuals with complicated medical conditions, such as diabetes, a history of renal failure or stroke, or a serious mental illness, or who are receiving medical treatment such as chemotherapy, photopheresis, or blood thinners, are fairly commonly involved. Candidates for home care include patients who need their wounds dressed or their medication managed, or who require speech therapy or physical therapy.
- ADL Daily Living Assistance: Are you able to adequately manage support for ADLs (Activities of Daily Living including bathing, dressing, grooming, and preparation of your meals), without the need for assistance or support?
Companionship: Is the person sociable and would companionship – via companion care – provide for needs they are missing out on?
Evaluate the Level of Care
- Personal Care: Basic support with hygiene, mobility, and daily routines.
- Home Health Care: Skilled care provided by registered nurses or therapists for medical needs.
- Palliative and Hospice Care: Specialty care for support of symptoms and comfort at the end of life or to help ease the journey of serious illness.
2. Researching Choosing home care service
Verify Credentials and Accreditation
- Licensing: Is the home care agency licensed in your state or by some other national governing body? That will at least ensure that the agency meets minimum standards for providing care.
- Accreditation: look for accreditations such as those from the Joint Commission or the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), which make excellence in care a core part of their mission.
Check Reputation and Reviews
- Online Reviews: Read reviews and testimonials from other families that have used the service via Google Reviews, Yelp, or the Better Business Bureau.
- References: Ask for references from present or former clients. Talking directly to the families who have used the service will provide you with the most personal feedback.
3. Evaluating Caregivers
Qualifications and Training
- Certification: Is the person a licensed nurse? If not, what type of training does she have? (A Certified Nursing Assistant [CNA] or Licensed Practical Nurse [LPN] should be certified; a home-health aide generally needs training only.)
- Background check: Demand proof that the agency does complete background checks and screenings to make sure that its caregivers are safe and reliable.
Compatibility and Personal Fit
- Interpersonal abilities: look to see if the care provider appears friendly and communicates well with the patient. A good match can mean a better care experience.
- Cultural sensitivity: Does the caregiver show respect for that person’s culture, religion, or personal preferences?
4. Understanding Services and Flexibility
Service Offerings
- Comprehensive Plan: Assess the extent of the services they provide, from personal care to medical services and specialized services. Make sure that the individual’s needs can be addressed by their provider.
- Are services available? Can the care be provided at any time, day or night, if your condition worsens? Does the agency offer any backup should their current caregiver be unable to perform the duties? Will their care plans be modified as your needs change?
Customization and Flexibility
- Personalized Care Plans: The individual care plan should be personalized and responsive to the person’s needs, desires, and priorities.
- Flexibility: Choose a place that can change its services as demanding circumstances arise, for example by increasing care hours or altering the types of care.
5. Reviewing Costs and Financial Options
Cost Structure
What do I pay for? Get a clear idea of how home care is priced. You’ll most likely be charged an hourly rate, but some providers offer daily rates or flat fees. Ask what factors might cause your bill to change, especially if you’re being served in a special setting like a hospital or around the clock. Also, ask about extra charges for special services or equipment.
Insurance and Payments: Check if the provider accepts your insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or other funding. If so, double-check the coverage and any out-of-pocket
Financial Planning
- Activities: Create a home care costs list including any initial fees, deposits, and registration costs.
- Payment Plans: Growing a human being is expensive so, if you need help, figure out agencies that offer payment plans or financing. Some agencies have options for orientation.
6. Ensuring Quality and Communication
Quality Assurance
- Care Standards: Check if the agency has a program to review quality with staff and patients during home visits.
- Incident Reporting: Implement a clear process for reporting/managing any concerns regarding the care provided.
Communication and Support
Schedule routine Updates: Specify how frequently the agency contacts the family regarding the progress of the individual’s care and with updates to their status.
Support Services: Are there services that help with ongoing case management or caregiver support to enable families to cope with care?
7. Legal and Ethical Considerations
Contracts and Agreements
- Service Agreements To employ the home care provider, you must carefully read and understand the service agreement or contract. This should stipulate the nature and limits of the services to be provided, the terms of payment, and the duties of both parties.
- Rights and Responsibilities: The contract outlines the patient’s rights – from confidentiality and dignity to informed consent By enacting these new requirements, these two 1900s Midwestern physicians were attempting to draw a line that separated ethics and law, creating a paradigm of medical ethics that has endured to the present day.
Ethical Standards
- Patient rights. Check that the provider follows accepted ethical standards and respects you and your family’s rights, in particular your preferences and culture-specific practices, including end-of-life rituals.
- Advocacy: Is the agency advocating for the patient when he or she can’t? Does the agency ensure that families or friends are treated respectfully? Does the agency ensure that care is delivered with compassion?
Whether you’re exploring home care services yourself or on behalf of an older relative or friend, you’ll quickly discover that this is no time to make a snap decision. The stakes are too high. Finding the right service requires homing in on the individual’s needs, responding to both their expressed and implied wishes, weighing up care providers against their peers, and above all, Choosing home care service option that doesn’t cut corners.
