To provide for the safety and comfort of seniors choosing to stay in a place they call home – their own home, their children’s homes, an assisted living community, rehabilitation facility or a hospital. This type of support is supplemental to hospital stays, rehab centers and in-home care from home health care, hospice care, and/or friends and family. There are two different types of Caregiving Services; medical and non-medical.
Services
- Light housekeeping
- Grocery shopping
- Bathing and dressing
- Companionship
- Transportation/Errand service
- Therapy assistance
- Medication reminders
- Mean preparation
Specialization
- Alzheimer’s/Dementia care
- Stroke/Cancer/Heart Disease recovery
- Hospice/Palliative care support
Preparation
- Veteran status of person in need of care, or spouse
- Long term care insurance policy availability
- Budget for home care services
- Health conditions of the elder in need of services
- Medications currently being administered
- What circumstances prompted the call
Evaluation
Status of Caregivers:
- company employees, or independent contractors?
- Check for criminal background and reference checks
- Social Security, Federal/State taxes, and unemployment insurance, and workers comp paid sheltering hiring family from legally responsibility
- Does Caregiver have professional liability insurance
- Supervisory home visits should be conducted to ensure quality care and client satisfaction
- Understand how scheduling is handled, and no-show replacements
- Look for a free, no-obligation consultation
Home Caregiving Services Radio Show Segments
- With a Little Help: Homecare Associates, with Shawn D’Amelio
Shawn D’Amelio talks about CarePartners Living partnerships such as With A Little Help. She is the VP of Washington State Homecare Association, which is setting a benchmark for the quality of care that your loved ones receive. They also provide education that our legislators need. With a Little Help is a good resource, so if they don’t move you, they have relationships with those who would. She also cochairs the Blooming With The Bloomers conference.
- With a Little Help: Making the Transition, with Shawn D’Amelio
Shawn D’Amelio talks about CarePartners Living partnerships such as With A Little Help. It’s helpful to have a partner during the transition from in-home care to a community, after living in their home for 50 years. It takes time to process that, but typically it becomes a crisis. There’s confusion between home health and home care. Home health is occupational and physical therapy, visiting nurse covered by Medicare. Home care includes meal care, transportation, help with dressing.
- Fall Prevention: Checking In, with Tracy Marcom
During Fall Prevention month, be a watchdog for your senior loved one. Tracy Marcom at Cascade In-Home Care asks: What is a family’s role to check in with their loved ones? Some are hands-off, and may not realize how their love ones are declining. If Mom or Dad don’t live nearby, they can put on a good front because they don’t want to burden their children. Have a service that can come in, even in the beginning, as an in-home care agency before you really need it, is a peace of mind both to your loved one and your family.
- Fall Prevention: Being a Watch Dog with Tracy Marcom
During Fall Prevention month, Regional Business Development Manager Tracy Marcom at Cascade In-Home Care suggests acting as a watchdog for your senior loved one. Some of the things we notice in the house are throw rugs on top of carpet, which is a huge tripping risk. Also, a rug in the bathroom should have a rubber bottom so it doesn’t lift up and cause a hazard. In-Home Care agencies are able to do non-medical in-home care, but we have a home health license, and we can do fall-and-risk assessments, wheelchair certification and have a nurse on duty. We can provide that fourth or fifth day of would care, but we wouldn’t do occupational therapy or physical therapy.
- Independently-Owned Home Care with Shawn D’Amelio
Shawn D’Amelio is the director of business development for With A Little Help, a locally-owned home care company. With A Little Help has 150 caregivers who provide in-home care, and their average age is 48, so they have some life experience. They not only know how to cook a meal but appreciate the value of sitting down and eating that meal with the senior. They help with fun outings, doctor’s appointments, shopping, help cleaning the house, changing the bed, and they build a friendship with the senior. They help with the challenges and light housekeeping so the senior loved one has energy for the fun things.
