How To Hire Home Care Professionals
Should a good home care agency be certified?
Certification for a good home care agency is a tricky answer because of the fact that the the regulations vary from state to state. I think the better question is to know the questions to ask a home health agency to make sure they're taking care of the things that are important to you.
Are home care agencies federally regulated?
Home care agencies are regulated by the state. They are not federally regulated.
What are some red flags when considering a home care agency?
When they won't give you the copies of their health insurance or their Workers' Compensation insurance, or their liability insurance. A red flag is also when they're so much less expensive than everybody else. When you get an answering machine and people call you back and they have very thick accents, or when it seems like they don't have a full agency. They are maybe working out of their home, and are perhaps using a few relatives and calling themselves a home agency. Also, a red flag would be when they don't want to see you before they take care of your older adult, and they're not really listening to your individual problems. People should be taking time on the phone to really understand your specific needs. If they're not doing that and when they're saying that they can take care of all problems and are not asking what your specific problems are, I would be concerned.
What if an agency provides expensive services that I don't currently need?
It is really important to find an agency that provides the value you need. So, by the same token, the least expensive agency may not provide you value because of the liability issues involved. The most expensive agency may not be providing you with the value that you needed, because they are giving you services you don't really need, and, you are paying for something that is unnecessary. So an agency such as ours partners with care management that's professional every step of the way, in terms of overseeing the caregiver, and being there for all family. If an older adult is living with her daughter, who doesn't work during the day, and she's happy to do the oversight of the caregiver, it wouldn't make much sense to pay our agency to provide a professional to do that.
What if an agency doesn't provide enough services that I may need in the future?
I think, in terms of looking at an agency, it's important to find an agency, that when you're doing long term care, that if they can't provide the services - they have access to those that do, so there is continuity. So if for instance, your mother may be needing just house work done and meals done but she is getting frailer, it may make sense to have somebody that can do personal care as well, if she is not very trust worthy and doesn't do well changing people. So you may start out a little further on down the line getting that kind of care - that makes sense. More extreme would be thinking, well maybe my mother's going to need a registered nurse at some time so I'm going to put her in a nursing home. There may be three good years at home when she doesn't and that would be a shame.
Who can help me choose a good home care agency?
Choosing a good home care agency can be helped by many people. Through the senior centres, and through recommendations of professionals who have worked with agencies and have good results from them. Other professionals that touch the older adult. Family members and friends - they're probably the best way if you have other associates or friends that have used home care agencies. Remember, it's important to ask the right questions.
Is an agency that's part of a national chain a safer, better bet?
In terms of being part of a national chain, there are different things to look for. Many of the national chain are franchised. So, just because somebody's part of a national franchise, in this some initial, they may have prettier brochures that are sent out there and they have some initial criteria that's common but it's quite different in one company that has several branches that may have between the branches. A lot has to do with the ability. A larger agency may be more able to train their caregivers to provide them better benefits and more consistency that way. At the end of the day, it is going to depend on the individual agency and the questions you are asked to meeting your needs.
Does hospital affiliation mean it's a better home care agency?
Hospital affiliation really has nothing to do with home care when we're talking non medical home care. Hospitals provide skilled care. They provide acute care. They are not in the business. That is not their expertise of finding non medical care. So it is like an attorney practicing medicine or doctors giving you suggestions on the stock market. They may be able to do it, I don't know how good the advice s going to be.
How can I hire the best individual home care providers?
In terms of hiring the individual best home care provider, the first thing you have to know is an understanding of your family and their specific needs. You then call and question the agencies, and get a group of questions that are available on how to hire home care agencies, and be sure to ask those questions. If they can't answer your questions to your ability and what's important to you, then it's probably not the right agency for you.
How can I make sure the home care staff I hired is providing quality care?
Assuring that the staff you hire is providing quality care can be done in a number of ways. One is, even the best agency is going to have different quality workers. Sometimes it has to do with the quality of their personality. If that personality is just not right for your family, it really doesn't matter what the skill set are. But if the skill set is very important, we want to be sure you or an objective individual is overseeing that care to make sure they're doing it. Just saying somebody has skill with dementia care or skill bathing somebody is not enough. You want to care about your mom or your dad and they be able to take care of your individual needs.
Is elder abuse a serious concern in home care?
What if I am not happy with the home care agency or professionals I hired?
Generally, with all home care agencies, you are not on any contract. So, with 24-hour notice, you can change agencies. Or in many agencies, you may like certain parts of it, but not the individual they gave you, s you can change individual caregivers. But again you are the employer and you can fire agencies at will.