Home Health Care

If you have ever heard of home health care, you probably realized that it could potentially be the best and most convenient option for you when it is time to take care of a parent or other adult who can no longer completely take care of himself or herself. This is something that happens to all of us at some point.

Home health care goes by many other names as well. These include domiciliary care, social care, in-home care, and formal care. These are all essentially the same things, and in the following it a few paragraphs we look through what all of that specifically means when it comes to services.

Home health care specifically deals with licensed professionals. These are licensed health care specialists who have gone through all of the regulated training sessions in order to be put on a list of people that can practice medicine. This is an important distinction because there are other types of care that do not require this license.

Included in this short list of licensed healthcare professionals who can provide home health care are licensed nurses, social workers who have medical experience, physical therapists who have been through regulated courses, and dietitians. These people all have medical experience thus fit in this specific category that you are concerned with right now.

This is in direct opposition to non-medical or custodial care. These are the type of people who come in and take care of the elderly more or for a social reason than a medical one. They are not licensed to do things with medication or specific medical devices, and so they have fee different function they perform at your home should you choose to hire them.

There is the matter of why you would choose home health care in the first place. Mostly because, there is going to be a time when you have to either send someone to a nursing home or hospital. If this is not something you are interested in quite yet, home healthcare is a responsible alternative where everyone gets what they need.

The cost of home health care is quite variable. Sometimes it could be quite a bit more expensive than the hospital or nursing home visit, while on the other hand, the money that you save from sending someone in your home may be to your financial advantage in the end.

Home health care is definitely something you should consider for your family or loved ones, or something that they should consider for you if you are getting on in years. It will probably become more popular in the coming years as people are more interested in keeping their family around, rather than sending them away.

It can be very difficult and challenging for a disabled person or someone who cares for a disabled person to find a home health care aide who is compatible, honest, and reliable. All of the suggestions below come from my personal experience, having had MS for 40 years. My hope is that this list gives you some direction to follow in order to find a health care aide to suit your needs and to make your life better.

• You must be able to lift and transfer the person in your care to and from the toilet, bed, shower, or anywhere else the patient wishes to go in a safe and strong manner; not putting him or her in any danger. Learn how to properly and safely help your patient to transfer and move about.

• You must always retain a professional manner, not discussing your personal problems, money problems, health issues, or your family information. You are there to care for your patient and not to burden them with problems of your own.

• You must not take or make personal calls while you are on the job. Handle your personal life when you are not on the job.

• You must pay attention to your patient and do things that she requests in a manner that you are told.

• You must never ask for food or drinks other than water while you are on your job.

• DO NOT take advantage of your patient's disability in any way shape or form. Your patient has you there because there are things that they can no longer do. She is in a vulnerable position and to take advantage of them is unconscionable and will not be tolerated.

• Be on time. If you find it necessary to be late or cannot be there on the appointed day make sure that you call your patient as soon as possible. Do not make them wait for you unnecessarily thereby causing them stress and having to readjust their schedule to suit yours. And never make them have to track you down by calling you or the agency which has hired you.

• The person in your charge is your boss and as such you will act accordingly by being polite, cheerful, caring and by doing a professional and thorough job with whatever task is asked of you just as he would with any other employer.

• Do not rush or cut corners so that you can get out of there as soon as possible. You are being paid with taxpayer money or money from the patient's themselves or their family and as such you are expected to work hard and not to make excuses for substandard work ethics.

• Laziness will not be tolerated and if you are asked to do something do it with a concentrated effort and to the best of your ability. Take personal pride in your work knowing that you were doing something of worth and importance. Not everyone is able to take on being a home health care aide and if you do your job well you are invaluable.

• Make sure that you ask your patient if there is anything else you can do for them before you leave. Make sure that they are comfortable and satisfied with the work you do have done for them.

• If you have any questions about where something belongs or how the patient would like something to be done ask her and don't just put things where you feel like it or do things your own way no matter what the consequences.
Just because the person in your care has a disability does not mean that she is ignorant or not aware of your actions. Realize that it may be hard for people with disabilities to ask for help and to be assertive so it is up to you to make sure that things are done for their convenience and not for yours.

• Never put your patient in an uncomfortable position of having to be afraid of you or to feel that you will take measures to intimidate herby being verbally or physically abusive or by your body language causing your patient to be uncomfortable or even afraid of you. To do so is not only immoral but also illegal and if you are such a person you must be prepared to take the consequences.

• Do not ever ask your patient for money. It is cause for immediate dismissal.

• Do not complain about circumstances in your own life. The person in your care has enough to worry about and should not be put through any more stress than they already have.

• If you are tired or having a bad day do not take it out on your patient. More than likely he or she is having a much worse day than you are.

• Theft of any kind will not be tolerated, is unconscionable, illegal, and cause for immediate dismissal as well as prosecutable.

• If your patient is in a wheelchair or lying in bed do not hover over them thereby making them uncomfortable that you are in a higher position than they. It is rude to your patient and your job is to make them feel as good about themselves as you possibly can.

• Always treat the person in your care as you would wish to be treated if you were in their situation. Be compassionate, caring, and helpful. There may come a day when you yourself will need the help of an aide and act as the aide that you would wish to have in your home and taking care of you.
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Many home health care products promote independence and freedom for those individuals that require assistance with any function they are no longer capable of doing for themselves. These products actually allow an individual to successfully age in place.

There are a variety of home health care products on the market today. For every condition or symptom, there is a home health care product to offer a solution. The key to successful aging in place is for the consumer to become aware of those solutions.

Let's start with the basic activities we perform each day. Bathing, dressing, brushing your teeth, shaving and combing your hair are functions we perform everyday and take for granted. For some, the ability to do these tasks can feel as if performing that function is insurmountable. Finding the right home health care product can make performing that task possible.

It is important to note here, that many well meaning care givers would rather perform the task for their aging loved one, instead of painstakingly watching an individual attempt to perform the task themselves.
Please remember, that self reliance is important to an individuals self esteem. The tiny victories of being able to perform the simplest of tasks can have an overwhelming boost of self confidence for your aging loved one. Celebrating those small successes can lead to confidence to attempt a larger task.

Every task an individual can do for themselves promotes an increase in building strength and endurance as well. Caregivers do not be so quick to do things for others. Allow, encourage and promote independence as you are caring for your aging loved one.

If you assess that there is a function or task that is difficult for your aging loved one to do, it is time to investigate the variety of home health care products to find a solution.

Safety is also a major concern for those that want to age in place. Many aging seniors have a fear of falling. This is a justifiable fear as falls rob the aging seniors of their independence and freedom. There are a variety of home health care products that promote safety and security for successful aging in place.

Something as simple as raised toilet seat can make a difference in the ease of getting up and down with out having difficulty. Grab bars strategically placed in the bathroom and bedroom can promote confidence and insure safety. Scald guards in the shower can prevent burns, non slip mats or strips are proactive measures to prevent a fall.

Today's homes were built for the young and growing family. The builders never considered the aging individuals that would remain in those homes long after their families were grown and gone. Today's seniors want to remain in the comfort of their homes, and age in familiar surroundings.

Home health care products allow you to adjust your home to meet your needs and achieve successful aging in place. There are a variety of products ranging from portable ramps to stair lifts to promote safety and mobility.

Although safety and independence are the key factors for utilizing home health care products, it is also important to remember the social and recreational side of your aging senior.

It is important to everyday life to find joy, happiness and recreation. Many aging seniors have interests or hobbies that have helped them, not only enjoy life, but help pass the time involved in an enjoyable activity. For some, the simple act of writing a note can be perceived an impossible task. There are writing instruments and even scissors adapted to suit almost every physical condition.

There are large print cards and games for the vision impaired and adaptive equipment for making reading a book easier.

There are solutions to making physical transfers easier from one place to another, adaptive devices that decrease pain and improve comfort. Caregivers need home health care products as well, to make their lives easier. When you are dealing with a loved one, nothing is more unnerving than not to be able to make our aging loved one comfortable. There are inexpensive assisted devices that can promote comfort and decrease stress.

Home health care products promote independence for successful aging in place. Take time to assess, communicate and investigate solutions to problems that present themselves to you. There is a home health care product out there to meet the needs of you aging senior.

This can be a very stressful. Hopefully, we can help you decide when to call a professional. Many people may need home health care including: disabled persons, chronically ill, cognitive impaired and older adults. When you have an elderly family member at home, you may be struggling to decide when to call a professional. Having someone in your home to help with your family members may cost you less money and allow you more freedom. Older adults will feel more comfortable in their homes. The ability to stay at home will allow them to keep a since of security. They will also avoid the social stigma that comes along with being in a nursing home. Being at home will allow them to stay social in their community. There is a true freedom that you get when you are allowed to stay in your home.

However, if staying at home by themselves is dangerous, a home health care aide can be very beneficial. A home care aide can help prevent falls, burns and overdosing on medications. Nurses can come in to give medications while therapist will come in to help build the clients' strength. A companion can also be used for the things such as cleaning and taking the clients to Dr Appointments. You can also have a sitter come in if you just need a small break to do small errands. Being allowed to leave your loved one home with a trusted caregiver can also be very freeing.

Home health aides are trained to deal with all sorts of aliments including: Dementia/Alzheimer's, chronic pain, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, many heart and lung diseases. Anyone who has ever been a caregiver knows that having patients is a key ingredient to being a good caregiver. There are many good caregivers available, the key is to find one that is right for you.

Home health care is now an important and very real part of life in the United States. The population is aging year by year, thus pointing to the fact that a good percentage of people will need home health care in the years to come. As people get older, their bodies degenerate and they find themselves increasingly unable to get around without help. They may even find themselves housebound after a while, or prefer to stay at home rather then be admitted to hospital. Either way, home health care can provide them with exactly what they are looking for! Personal care is just as important as medical care for the elderly and disabled, and not as expensive as hospital care.

Hospital workers, whether doctors or nurses or health care assistants, are all highly skilled and well worth the money charged to you in most cases, but the majority of people only need limited care for a specific period of time. If the required care is ongoing then the bills for the bed, food and services will soon mount up. However, home health care eliminates the need for two of the charges, only leaving the care service aspect to worry about. Home health care will most definitely benefit these types of people far more and will also provide the post-hospital care that is desperately needed.

The Advantages Of Home Health Care

Home health care can ensure that individuals with ongoing care needs vet the treatment they need in the comfort of their own home. This environment actually encourages recovery because it is a comfortable environment to recuperate, with all of an individuals friends, family and possessions around them. The familiar definitely holds some sort of healing properties. This is one of the reasons why new mothers often choose to give birth at home or return home within hours of it. Home health care assistants and mobile midwives provide the treatment needed. Their absence from hospital also frees up more beds for those that are next in line to have a baby or for treatment so it provides a good deal for all concerned.

Those with long-term illnesses are more often than not cared for at home these days because they can only be made comfortable and do not need surgery. A wide range of home health care professionals may visit them on a daily basis to make sure that there is no change in their condition and to administer ongoing care. Such home health care professionals have often reported that being at home does more for a patient's mental state than a hospital could ever do. With these types of reports showing definite benefits to home health care, everyone should consider it as an option for recovery.

In home care for your aging parents can decrease stress and give you peace of mind. Providing care for the elderly in the home also can be very stressful and sometimes have disastrous results. That is why choosing the right in home health care agency is important. Many individuals are surprised to find that Medicare does not cover the services their parents need.

In order to find the appropriate elder home care to meet the needs of your parents. Home care has two categories as defined by Medicare. I will explain them both in detail so that you will become familiar with them.

Skilled care refers to medical care provided by nurses, therapists (physical, occupational, or speech), and social services. A order is required from a doctor to receive these services. The care provided is supervised by a registered nurse and the visits are intermittent and short, meaning, several times a week. Medicare or medical insurance will pay for these visits for a very short period of time. Many times if there are procedures that need to be done more than once a day, a family member will be expected to learn the procedure and provide the care.

Custodial care refers to help with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, cooking and shopping. These services are provided by home health aides or companions. These services are paid for through private funds, veterans' benefits, community waiver programs or other community resources.

Many family caregivers are reluctant to have outside help inside the home because of the cost. They often neglect to see that they are paying a dear price themselves. Research studies show that family caregivers loose 75% of their earning potential for every year that they provide care for the aging senior in their life. That is just the financial aspect. Many family caregivers neglect their own health and suffer long term health problems long after their care giving days are over.

More on wanting in home care for your aging parents? How to choose the right in home health care agency.

Many family caregivers find that to provide care for the elderly in the home means giving up their social life, family life; it can interfere with their work life. So finding the right in home health care can make a difference in the life of the caregiver as well as the aging senior.

The first step for the family caregiver is to identify what their limitations are regarding their care giving responsibilities. When an individual agrees to take care of an aging senior, they really do not know what they are agreeing to do. They have no idea for how long or where this care giving journey will take them. A family caregiver should be able to identify what they can and cannot do. Sleepless nights, dealing with incontinence, a confused person, missing work to transport to the doctors are just a few things that will need to be discussed.

Once a family caregiver knows their limitations, then they can put a plan in place. This plan would start with investigating all the resources available to the aging senior. This is a process that is time consuming, so I suggest you start early, before you have the need for the services. Knowing the resources available to you will help you know what the financial picture will be for home health care as well. If you are going to be paying out of your own pocket, Met Life and Gen Worth companies put out a yearly long term care costs study that will give you an up to date idea of the cost of services in your area. These are companies that provide long term care insurance policies and the information is very accurate.

In choosing in home care for your aging parents, you must then assess what their needs will be. To choose the right in home health care agency, determine how much supervision or help is needed. Will it be live in help, or round the clock care? Determine if there will be nursing needs or just companionship. This is just the first step, as once you have the workers in place; you will take on the role of manager.

Old age can keep us from doing things we once thought were easy. As we grow older, living on our own can become something of a struggle. However, home care and home health care services can provide the elderly or sick with the aid and activity they need on a daily basis, allowing them to continue living an independent life.

With over one million people making use of home health care, it has proven to be a successful alternative to long-term nursing facilities. A normal home care service consists of a nurse or aid visiting the patient's home every day to help assist with whatever needs assisting. This can vary from simply cooking meals and housecleaning to providing the patient with physical therapy and medicine. No aspect of what a patient needs is overlooked, and every patient is treated differently according to his or her needs. While one patient might need help keeping maintenance of his or her home and minor physical therapy, another may require help in being bathed and fed. Nurses are trained to be attentive to any potential needs their patient may have.

The need for home health care isn't always clearly determined. It is a good idea to consult with a doctor before deciding whether you or someone you know should seek the aid of home health care services. Consulting with a doctor may also help you financially. If your doctor confirms the need for home services and orders it, financial burden can be lifted off your shoulders through Medicare. Research the agency you use to make sure they can do whatever needs to be done to aid you or a loved one. Check if the nurses are licensed and trained. This research can help prevent any problems along the way.

One important thing to remember is that home care services and home health care services are different. While home care may provide the elderly with daily check-ups and domestic services, home health care includes helping a patient recover from an ailment, such as a heart attack or stroke. Depending on what is required, you might want to make sure that those you'd be hiring are licensed therapists or nurses.

Home health care is a great way to provide yourself or a loved one with the aid and medical treatment that's needed on a daily basis. It allows patients to live healthy lives without encroaching on their independence. If you or someone you know is not ready to go to a long-term nursing facility, home health care is a viable alternative that might just be worth looking into.

Home health care workers are those that come into the home and care for our elderly. In many cases, these individuals are very well respected and are above all illegal activity, however, there are those that get past the interview of the individual or the company that are not so upright and honest.

In a recent study, one hundred home health workers had been convicted of some type of crime between 1996 and 1999. You may have even read in the news about Patrick Dwyer, owner/operator of Dependable Home Health Care, Inc. was indicted for stealing approximately $160,000 in funds from the New York State Insurance Fund. This was believed to occur when he stole a patient's identity in order to file bogus claims.

Today, it is hard to trust anyone whether they are a company or if you are the person performing the interview. If you are in this situation, you will want to ensure that the person you are inviting into your home to help with household chores, running errands in your vehicle, etc... is trustworthy and professional.

The way in which to do this is to perform a background check. This can be easily accomplished online. Today, there are companies, such as Public Records Pro that offers a searchable database that will allow you to search by name and social security number. You will be able to learn if the person has a criminal record as well as other pertinent information like previous employment. Using this database will help find the best possible home health care worker after performing a thorough background check.

Surely you have heard not once that many people are exercising at home and you have probably wondered what is that all about. Well working out at home means home health care. It is easier, and it is a good way to burn fat and calorie all from your comfort of your home. Get it? You are doing health, meaning exercising to burn fat and calorie at home.

This is a great way to save time and money. I read a lot on the net lately about workout at home programs. They are all good, trust me, they all talk about the type of cardio you should do and the food you should eat. Question is which one to choose. Answer is: it does not matter, just choose one and follow with it. Remember that they are all great programs, as long as you are consistent with them. No one program will tell you lies or set you up for injury, Get one, read through it and start apply the exercises and the nutrition advice in there. Most important is to read the small letters in the very beginning of the book, they usually come under the headline: Disclaimer. This is where the author encourage you to get professional advice before using her or his program.

See, the person who wrote this program is a professional personal trainer, problem is that they never met you and do not know your specific needs. All the exercises in the book they wrote are great exercise regime to follow but you might have an old injury that needs to be looked at before you do the exercises or you may decide to look at the photos in the book, do the exercises as described in there but actually do them wrong, so this needs to be looked at by a qualified personal trainer. For example, I bought a book called Truth about Six Pack Abs, written by Mike Geary. Mike describes and shows how to do all the exercises given in his book. One of them is called renegade rowing, where you are on a push-up position rowing your arms up one at a time holding a dumbbell. There is no jerking here as you must follow the movement properly in order not to injure yourself. In order to perform this exercise properly I went a personal trainer that looked at how I do this exercise and he had to correct my movement. Now I am away with this exercise and my body benefit from it and not getting injured.

Look after yourself at home and keep healthy and fit.

Assessment

Before signing a contract with a home health care agency, an assessment will be made to determine the needs of the person who requires care, since a physician's prescription for home health will not fully outline all your needs. Many companies offer this service for free. During an assessment an agency representative from an agency will visit your loved one in the home or at the hospital. The agency representative will ask questions and look around the house if needed. The following issues should be assessed by both interview and observation:

* Physical health
* Medication use
* Amount of aid needed with ADLs or IADLs
* Mental health
* Home safety
* Quality of life

The idea behind an assessment is to figure out what your loved one requires on a basic health and safety level, while maintaining a high quality of life.

Care Plan

The assessment provides the basis for a care plan. A care plan is a document that explains the client's needs, and how to meet them. A care plan should be reassessed by an agency on a monthly basis and as needed. A care plan:

* Increases consistency of care (this is exceptionally important when multiple caregivers must interact with each other)
* Sets priorities and goals for an individual's care
* Acts as a reference to aid in measuring an individual's progress

Contract

Home health care agencies will have you sign a contract. These contracts can be changed and amended, so before signing it, think about whether there are certain verbal promises that should be written into the contract. For example, if an agency promises you that a replacement caregiver will be provided within a certain time-frame if the primary caregiver is sick or must be absent for a day, you may want to have the agency add that detail to the contract.