Know About Choosing A Senior Home Care Agency

Choosing a senior home care agency is very important as it impacts everyone emotionally and financially; it is best in your interest to find one that is following the legal requirements and is liable for the caregiver who is their employee. The agency must hire the caregiver and pay for all payroll taxes and Worker's Compensation Insurance.

Here is a checklist of choosing a senior home care agency:

 
a) It is first important to write down the actual care needs; include a typical day of the elder right from the time he gets up to when he goes to bed, making sure to include the time when he prefers meals, naps and other activities.

b) It is next important to consider and write whether the elder needs hand’s on care or companion care. In case of companion care you could make a list of activities.

c) Next it is important to mention if the elder is having memory loss and the type. It is also essential to mention if blood clots and brain tumors has caused dementia. This will help the agency to better understand the care needs and assign a caregiver with the right type of training and qualifications.

d) It is next necessary to mention if you need a caregiver to speak a certain language; this is very essential especially when the caregiver knows only a certain language.

e) Next you need to mention if you want the caregiver to escort the senior to the doctor and other social activities; this also includes mention of mode of transport, if the caretaker would be driving the car and if there is enough car insurance coverage. It should also mention if they would be using public transport; this is a safe method of transportation that prevents risks of insurance issues. You could also check on special transportation privileges for seniors that certain cities provide or contact your local Department on Aging for information.

f) It is also necessary to review the list of services you will need performed during the care visit and decide on the minimum number of hours per day as the agency will need to know the hours of service to assign a caregiver; they would allow you to adjust the hours after the first week to accurately meet the care needs.

g) Next it is essential to communicate to the agency of any special cooking requirements and food allergies and consider how groceries will be purchased or delivered if the care recipient is unable to shop for groceries on their own.

h) You need to provide a list of medications and the method of monitoring so the agency will be aware of possible side effects and other requirements such as taking pills with or without food, etc.  

i) Also communicate if there skilled care requirements, such as taking blood pressure, blood sugar testing, wound care or a feeding tube. 

j) Lastly it would help to have a trained Care Manager in case the caregivers have no time to manage overall care issues.  A Geriatric Care Manager will work with family members and take on responsibilities which they are unable to perform and provide professional expertise in guiding the long-term care decisions.

Image Courtesy: Google