Homecare

An Overview of Home Health Care

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

More specifically, home health care may include occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy, and even skilled nursing care. It may involve helping the elderly with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and eating. It also may include assistance with cooking, cleaning, other housekeeping jobs, and monitoring one's daily regimen of prescription medicine and over-the-counter medications.

It is important to understand the difference between home health care and home care services. Although they sound the same (and home health care may include some home care services), home health care is more medically oriented. While home care typically includes chore and housecleaning services, home health care usually involves helping seniors recover from an illness or injury. That is why the people who provide home health care 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.

As with any important purchase, it is always a good idea to talk with friends, neighbors, and your local area agency on aging to learn more about the home health care agencies in your community.

Helpful Information For the Homecare Agency

Whether you arrange for home health care through an 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 be doing the work. Ideally, you could spend a day with him or her, before the job formally begins, to discuss what will be involved in the daily routine. If nothing else, tell the home health care provider (both verbally and in writing) the following things that he or she should know about the senior:

• Illnesses/injuries, and signs of an emergency medical situation
• Likes and dislikes
• Medications, and how and when they should be taken
• Need for dentures, eyeglasses, canes, walkers, etc.
• Possible behavior problems and how best to deal with them
• Problems getting around (in or out of a wheelchair, for example, or trouble walking)
• Special diets or nutritional needs
• Therapeutic exercises.
• Clothing the senior may need (if/when it gets too hot or too cold)
• How you can be contacted (and who else should be contacted in an emergency)
• How to find and use medical supplies and medications
• When to lock up the apartment/house and where to find the keys
• Where to find food, cooking utensils, and serving items
• Where to find cleaning supplies
• Where to find light bulbs and flash lights, and where the fuse box is located (in case of a power failure)
• Where to find the washer, dryer, and other household appliances (as well as instructions for how to use them).

Although most states require that home health care agencies perform criminal background checks on their workers and carefully screen job applicants for these positions, the actual regulations will vary depending on where you live. Therefore, before contacting a home health care agency, you may want to call your local area agency on aging or department of public health to learn what laws apply in your state.

National Associations for Homecare

There are several national organizations that can provide additional consumer information about home health care services. These include the following:

• The National Association for Home Care, which can be reached at 202-547-7424 or by visiting its website at http://www.nahc.org/. The address is: 228 7th St., SE; Washington, DC 20003.
• The Visiting Nurse Associations of America, which can be reached at 617-737-3200 or by visiting its website at http://vnaa.org/vnaa/siteshelltemplates/homepage_navigate.htm  The address is: 99 Summer St., Suite 1700; Boston, MA 02110.

Home Care Providers: What To Look For

When considering home care for your parents or a loved one, there are a few basic things that you want to know in order to evaluate your options in choosing the best senior care provider:

Offering Services You Need:

• Companionship:  visiting, supervision and leisure activities
• Personal Care: help with bathing, dressing, toileting and exercising.
• Homemaking:  housekeeping, shopping and cooking
• Skilled or Nursing Care: help with medication and other medical needs

Check That Your Provider Is:

• Trained in first aid and CPR
• Trained in alzheimer's or dementia care
• Experienced in working with someone with dementia
• With an agency, if important (recommended)
• Bonded, if important (protects clinets from potential losses caused by the employees)
• Able to provided references
• Available when you need them
• Able to provide a back-up if they are sick
• Able to manage your specific health and behavioral care needs