The first thing you need to determine when choosing in-home health care is the level of help needed. Our loved ones, whether family or friends, have different needs and require different levels of care.
Most in-home health care agencies offer varying levels of care depending on needs. For example, some seniors need skilled care that’s provided by medical caregivers like nurses, physical therapists, and others. The other type of care is provided by custodial providers. For those seniors who need cleaning, shopping, housekeeping, meal preparation, and other personal care, in-home health care agencies offer caregivers who can meet those needs.
Let’s look at what you need to know when choosing in-home health care.
Questions to ask
When evaluating in-home health care agencies, ask the following questions.
- General Services
- Experience: How long have you been providing in-home health care services?
- Scope: What range of services do you provide?
- Specialised Care: What special services do you offer, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and more?
- In-home Services: What specific in-home services do you provide?
- Personalisation
- Cultural & Language Needs: Can you meet special needs, such as language or cultural preferences?
- Caregiver Standards
- Screening: Do you perform background checks?
- Training: What training and education do you offer your caregivers?
- Professionalism: Do you require nurses and medical professionals to adhere to a care plan?
- Care Plan & Oversight
- Family Involvement: Do caregivers involve families in the approved care plan?
- Updates & Documentation:
- Who is involved in care plan changes?
- What kind of documentation defines current and future care tasks?
- Supervision: Do you have supervisors overseeing each patient’s care plan?
- Problem Solving & Emergencies
- Problem Resolution:
- How do you follow up with and resolve problems involving patients or their families?
- How does the agency ensure caregivers respond to patients’ changing needs?
- Communication: Can family members contact caregivers with specific questions or concerns?
- Problem Resolution:
- Emergency Support:
- How do you, the patient, and caregivers handle emergencies?
- Are specialists and caregivers available 24/7 for emergencies, even during off-hours?
- Cost Transparency
- Government vs. Out-of-Pocket: Can you explain what the government covers versus what must be paid out-of-pocket?
- Written Statements: Does the agency provide written statements of costs, changes to services, and payment plan options?
Final thoughts
Always request a full complement of references. You want to be able to check with doctors and physicians, patient and family members, and even those in the community where the in-home agency provides care. Do each of these members refer individuals to this in-home care agency? But more importantly, do these referrals have a contractual relationship with the agency? And if you do, do you require a level or standard of care before you work with in-home agencies?
Most importantly, what are clients saying about this in-home health agency? Don’t be afraid to check formal sources like testimonials and informal sources like online forums, social media, and other sources for reviews and comments.
If you’re uncertain about the best scenario for your loved one, contact My Guardian at 02 9336 7555. We’ll walk through all your options and help you choose the one that best meet your preferences and your budget.
