Tips for Choosing Home Care
Home care encompasses a wide range of health and social services that can be delivered at home to recovering, disabled or chronically ill persons in need of medical, nursing, social or therapeutic treatment and/or assistance with the essential activities of daily living. It can be for anyone – individuals and families of all ages who are challenged by a variety of health and social problems such as short- or long-term illness, injury, physical handicaps, mental health disorders and chemical dependencies.
Home care services are provided by home care agencies. These agencies generally fall into three main groups: Home care agencies, home care aide organizations and hospices. In the past century, these public and private non-profit and for-profit organizations have centered around a core of professional nursing and home care aide services. Home care agencies also provide a variety of other services, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and social and nutritional care. Before one receives home care, a specific plan of treatment should be designed by a physician, nurse, and/or medical social worker in cooperation with the people who will provide the care. The team of caregivers is usually comprised of:
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Finding the home care agency best suited for your needs requires research, but it is time well spent. Once you acquire the names of several agencies, you will want to learn more about their services and reputations. Following are some questions to ask home care providers and community leaders. Their insight will help you determine which agency is best for you or your loved one.
- How long has the agency been serving the community?
- Is the agency certified by Medicare?
- Is the agency licensed and accredited?
- Does the agency provide literature explaining its services, eligibility requirements, fees, and funding sources?
- How does the agency select and train its employees?
- Does it protect its workers with written personnel policies, benefits packages, and malpractice insurance?
- Does it run a Criminal Records Check on new employees?
- Are the agency’s nurses or therapists required to evaluate the patient’s home care needs?
- Is the patient’s course of treatment documented, detailing the specific tasks to be carried out by each professional caregiver?
- Does the agency assign supervisors to oversee the quality of care patients are receiving in their homes? If so, how often do these individuals make visits? Whom can you call with questions or complaints? How are problems followed up and resolved?
- Does the agency take time to educate family members on the type of care that is being provided?
- What are the agency’s financial procedures? Does it provide written statements that explain all the costs and payment plan options associated with home care?
- What procedures are in place to handle emergencies? Are the agency’s caregivers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
- How does the provider ensure patient confidentiality?
Ask the home care agency to provide you with a list of individuals who are familiar with its reputation. Consult these people as well as physicians, discharge planners, and community leaders to help assess the quality of service the agency provides.
If you invest some time and follow the steps outlined above, you most likely will receive high-quality home care that is safe and effective. If a problem develops, you should first contact the home care agency’s chief administrator or clinical supervisor. If the problem cannot be resolved or you would like to issue a complaint, notify the:
- Ohio Health Departments Complaint Hotline, 1-800-342-0553
(This should only be used if the agency is Medicare certified.) - Better Business Bureau - www.bbb.org
- State Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 1-800-282-1206
- State Attorney General’s Consumer Protection at 1-800-282-0515