RetirementHomes.com - home care

8 Questions You Need to Ask When Looking for Home Care

aadmin — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:17:08 +0000

Seeking the services of a home care agency usually comes at a critical time - when you or a loved one is recovering from surgery, or need care for a chronic illness.

Receiving quality assistance in this time of need is of utmost importance, and knowing exactly what kind of home care services you may need - such as skilled nurses or household support - is a good place to start.

No matter what type of support you need, however, knowing what questions to ask when considering a home care agency can be crucial. Here are eight important questions that can help guide you through the process and help you make the right choice.

Is The Agency Licensed? Most states require agencies to be licensed and subject to regular reviews. In many cases, those reviews are available through your state health department. An important note: Not all states require licensing, so be sure that check what your state's requirements entail.

What Type Of Employee Screening Is Done? It's important to know how an agency selects and train its employees. Can the agency provide references who've had experience with the agency? Also be sure to ask if the caregivers are licensed and insured, and if background checks are done on them.

What Type Of Supervision Is There? Ask if the agency has supervisors assigned to oversee the kind of care the patient is receiving. Moreover, do these supervisors make visits, and how often?

Is There A Written Care Plan? Will there be a plan of care in writing before services begin? This plan should include details about a variety of things - from medical equipment needed, specific care needs, as well as input from the doctor. You should also make sure that they will provide you with a copy of the plan.

What Are Their Financial Procedures? Make sure that the agency provides written statements explaining all of the costs and payment options. Ask for literature explaining all the services and fees. Of course, it's important to know what fees are covered by health insurance or Medicare. Check to make sure what your own health insurance coverage provides.

Is The Caregiver A Good Fit? Naturally, you want to be comfortable with the caregiver and it can be of vital importance when it comes to quality of care. Does the aide have a positive, friendly attitude? Are you or your loved one comfortable working with them and having them around the house?

Is There A Patient Bill Of Rights? Most agencies provide what is known as a 'Patient Bill of Rights' that covers all of the rights and responsibilities of the agency, patients and caregivers. It's also helpful to get an annual report or other informational materials about the provider.

How Often Is Care Available? Check to see if caregivers are available around the clock, seven days a week. Also, ask what procedures are in place should a caregiver not show up for a scheduled shift. Is there a system in place that will quickly send another caregiver to fill in?

Again, choosing the right home care agency for you and your loved one is an important decision. But asking the right questions to obtain the information you need before making that decision can make the process much easier.

Tags:

home care

Categories:

Elder Abuse

Senior Living

What to Ask when Interviewing Home Care Agencies

aadmin — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 14:36:30 +0000

Having to hire home health care can be difficult for anyone. Whether you or your loved one is looking into hiring a home care agency, there are several things that you should determine up front before any decisions are made. If for no other reason than your peace of mind, you might want to put the following on the list of questions to ask your potential home care agency:

Do you provide background checks and employment references for your employees?

This may sound rude to some, but you are entrusting strangers with your loved one, your home and your possessions. Nearly every home care agency will require background checks as well as drug testing, and this is a question that they are probably often asked. You may want to know what their criteria are, however. Some agencies will hire people with criminal records, but only certain offenses are allowed.

Will you provide documentation of education and certifications for your employees?

Many home care agencies require their aides and other staff to become certified or, at least, to have a certain amount of experience. You are well within your rights to ask for proof that the people who will be working with you are indeed qualified. Also make sure that the agency itself carries the proper documentation required in your state.

What kind of supervision do you provide for your employees?

Many agencies regularly evaluate their employees and grade their quality of care. It is also your job to guarantee the quality of the people you will be working with.

How do we determine what care is necessary and will there be a health care plan?

Some people require more involved services while others will simply need an aide or other home care worker to be present and possibly prepare meals. Know what the agency is going to do for you or your loved one and also be certain of your responsibilities.

What happens if a worker calls in sick?

One thing you don’t want is an aide with the flu coming to your home and possibly passing the virus around, but what do you do if something happens and your aide doesn’t show up for work? Also, know who you should speak to if there are problems with an aide with regards to their work ethic or personality that makes them difficult for you to work with.

How does billing work?

Many people simply assume that their insurance company will just cut the agency a check, but there may be deductibles and/or copays that you may be responsible for. Get all of the financial aspects of the service out of the way before visits begin so that there will be no surprises down the road.

Just asking a few questions prior to hiring can eliminate minor and major issues later on. Your main goal, obviously, is to achieve a good working environment for your help and great results for you or your loved one. It always pays to be informed!

Tags:

Categories:

Silver surfers may benefit from site designed by fellow seniors

aadmin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:04:08 +0000

Seniors aren't averse to social networking sites to blog and chat about retirement living activities, as recent surveys from Pew Research suggest.

More than half of Americans over the age of 64 go online today, and more than one in ten have become involved with social networking sites, according to the survey.

But some retirees think that more seniors would become involved if they had a resource of their own.

That's why an elderly couple from Queens, New York, joined a friend from Florida in creating GenKvetch, a site that allows silver surfers to share articles and other stories with each other, according to the New York Daily News.

"[I have] always been fiddling around with computers," Illy Brown, one early adopter, told the news provider about the site.

"It's set up by older people for older people, and it's much more interesting to me."

With roughly a quarter of seniors chatting on instant messenging systems and reading blogs, it helps for some new users that GenKvetch creators are willing to walk them through some of the features so they can share ideas with their friends.

© Copyright

Tags:

Categories:

Obesity may impact seniors'ability to complete retirement living tasks

aadmin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:04:08 +0000

While many bodily processes slow down for residents of independent living communities, some scientists are suggesting that the effects of an inefficient metabolism may be playing out in seniors' mental skills.

A new study from UCLA teased out the link between obesity and the amount of brain tissue remaining for seniors, and the researchers are now saying that extra weight may be impacting one's mind in retirement living conditions.

"That's a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer's and other diseases that attack the brain," said lead author Dr Paul Thompson.

"But you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer's, if you can eat healthily and keep your weight under control."

The areas most affected were those that control planning, memory and movement, the scientists noted, causing the brains of obese seniors to look 16 years older than those of more fit study participants.

It is a new complication of obesity for the elderly that also include the onset of diabetes, with half of all cases occurring in seniors according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

© Copyright

Tags:

Categories:

Retirement living partners may benefit from tips on helping each other

aadmin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:04:08 +0000

Since age-related conditions can sometimes progress at different rates, some loved ones in retirement living communities can benefit from their spouses' assistance. One health insurance company has outlined ways that elderly caregivers can accomplish that successfully.

First, educating oneself about a spouse's illness can help one become both an advocate during doctor's visits and provide a list of symptoms that may augur a need for more immediate service by healthcare professionals, according to SCAN in Arizona.

Going it alone may be one choice made by those residing in independent living communities, but there are resources available to those who may want a backup plan, including enlisting the aid of other family members in case of an emergency or other event.

Of course, home care from qualified nursing may also help, and Medicare supplemental coverage can pay for some of those costs, the company says.

"We know that caregivers have higher stress levels, risk of depression and chances of developing health problems themselves," said Tom Lescault, the insurance company's president.

"It is our goal to help make their loads a little lighter."

© Copyright

Tags:

Categories:

Insulin treatment could help those with diabetes maintain independent living arrangements

aadmin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:04:09 +0000

Diabetes can affect many people in independent living communities and other retirement communities, since approximately half of all diabetes cases are diagnosed in people aged 60 or older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Concerns over insulin-based treatments has led some patients to question its viability as a therapy, but a new study from UT Southwestern Medical Center suggests that for diabetes patients looking to maintain an independent living situation, it may be the best front-line option.

Researchers there followed patients aged 21 to 70 who had recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and found that after three months, side effects such as weight gain did not occur in those who had been taking insulin compared to other treatments.

"There is a myth out in the community...

that insulin is the last resort, and that somebody started on insulin is going to die," said lead researcher Dr Ildiko Lingvay. "We as physicians are responsible for teaching the patient that that's not the case."

Instead, Lingvay and the rest of the study's team advocate that with easier-to-use insulin options available, patients should be using them more frequently.

© Copyright

Tags:

Categories:

Parkinsons'research breakthrough may benefit future assisted living facility residents

aadmin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:04:22 +0000

Scientists at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich say they have come one step closer to explaining how Parkinson's disease can affect the elderly, creating the potential for better treatments for those residing in assisted living homes.

Working with the knowledge that the degenerative condition causes the loss

of neurons in some areas of the brain, two researchers at the German school say that they have linked the genes affected by Parkinson's disease to mitochondria.

Since mitochondria act as the energy providers in cells, Professor Konstanze Winklhofer reported that the genes are likely leading to decreased cells because of an inability to transfer needed "fuel" through the nervous system.

Still, he and his team know that they are not quite there, but "when we understand the function of these genes, we can learn a lot about the causes of the disease, its progress and possible new therapies," noted Winklhofer.

Roughly 50,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease each year, although many more could have the condition but attribute symptoms to normal signs of aging, according to the National Institutes of Health.

© Copyright

Tags:

Categories:

Estate planners say retirement living savings plans will experience change in 2010

aadmin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:04:22 +0000

Planning for retirement living budgets can be a struggle for some who find tax codes and legislation confusing, and a college professor is hoping to change that at an upcoming event in Minneapolis.

"What happens in the next few months could cause some of the biggest changes we've seen in the trusts and estates field," said Roy Adams, Northwestern University professor emeritus of estate planning and taxation.

He'll be speaking at the city's convention center on September 14 to help seniors and those planning their retirement living expenses by teaching estate planners what the changes will mean for both them and their clients.

A variety of tax code modifications may affect seniors' savings, including the repeal of the estate tax in 2010, as well as gift tax modifications that could affect those looking to give some of their prized possessions or family-owned companies to loved ones.

The government is also changing the income limits on certain types of IRAs, and Adams will join Professor Christopher Hoy in explaining their impact at the free event.

Tags:

Categories:

Heat affects those in independent living situations more than younger people

aadmin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:04:07 +0000

Researchers from the University of Ottawa recently concluded a review of several studies and found that older people, especially those with certain chronic conditions, are more likely to suffer adverse effects from too much heat exposure than younger persons.

Outside of age, elderly diabetes patients and those suffering from heart disease and breathing problems have a higher probability of developing heat stro

ke, exhaustion or cramps, according to the findings published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

"New research should focus not only on filling these gaps in the science-based information but also on developing clinical guidelines for health professionals to facilitate the giving of advice to patients," noted lead author Dr Glen Kenny, who found that little scientific work had been done outside of studies on sweat loss and cooling.

Kenny has called for a more holistic approach that studies the effects of heat regulation on the entire body for aging populations.

Steps that can be taken by older people to limit their risk include installing air condition, which eliminated 80 percent of heat-related illness reports, or less expensive fans to reduce the chances by 30 percent.

© Copyright

Tags:

Categories:

Gerontology students learn about retirement living conditions by'becoming'seniors

aadmin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:04:07 +0000

The next generation of healthcare professionals that provide medical services to seniors in retirement living conditions will have been able to see life through the eyes of their patients thanks to a recent seminar on disabilities in the elderly.

At the University of South Carolina, gerontology students were able to mimic the conditions experienced by aging Americans, using bulky gloves that simulated arthritis to try and open pill bottles and complete other tasks, as well as ear plugs and partial blindfolds to approximate loss of some senses.

"It was illuminating to experience firsthand the vision loss that comes with age," said Zachary Gassoumis, a doctoral student.

"I have worn glasses since I was 10, but I now realize I would have a hard time enduring the effects of cataracts or macular degeneration."

The Trading Ages program is part of a partnership with a healthcare company that aims to help students achieve a better understanding of the physical needs of the elderly patients they will be serving in retirement living communities and other facilities.

© Copyright

Tags:

Categories: