Choosing a Homecare Provider

We`ve all heard the saying, there`s no place like home. And that rings true for seniors too, and staying in our home as we age in important. Choosing in-home, professional care is just as important. Sheryl Bautch from Family Services joins us to give us some tips on choosing a homecare provider. When should seniors and their family begin investigating homecare options? The time to begin this process is before you need the service. You can make some preliminary decisions about the type of service you want and investigate what options are available in your community at any time, and doing some of that groundwork in advance will make it much easier to make a good choice when the service is needed. Unfortunately, many seniors and their families don`t think about this issue until faced with a crisis. Having little time to get services in place sometimes leads to a bad choice. What steps should seniors and their family follow when choosing a homecare provider? 1. Decide what level of care is needed: -housekeeping only: performs basic household tasks and light housekeeping; -non-medical homecare: provides personal care including preparing meals, bathing, dressing, transferring to/from a wheelchair, transportation, etc.; -home health care: can assist with wound care and medications. 2. Decide whether to hire an independent provider or contract for service through an agency: an independent provider may be less expensive than an agency and you will choose the specific caregiver with whom you or your senior family member will be working. however, this option requires you to take on all the responsibilities and obligations of an employer, including hiring/firing, doing reference and criminal background checks, supervising the caregiver`s work, and complying with all applicable state and federal employer requirements, including payroll tax and social security withholding. if you contract with an agency for service, the agency is responsible for all of those tasks. 3. Choose a provider. If the decision is made to contract with an agency for service, what questions should we ask as we compare agencies in order to make the best choice? What services are provided and what do they cost? What days and hours are services available? What steps does the agency take to screen prospective employees does the agency have insurance or bonding that will protect me from the aide? What training does the agency provide? can I request a different aide? What system is in place if i am unhappy with the aide? Is there a written care plan and how will the clietn and family be involved with the care plan? 1. What services are provided and what do they cost? 2. What days and hours are services available? 3. What steps does the agency take to screen prospective employees? Do they include personal interviews, reference checks and criminal background checks? 4. Does the agency have insurance or bonding that will protect me from theft or damage by the aide? 5. What training and supervision does the agency provide for its aides? 6. Will a substitute be provided if my aide is ill or otherwise unavailable? 7. Can I request a different aide if I am unhappy with the worker the agency sends? 8. What system is in place for receiving client problems or complaints and reso living them? 9. Is there a written care plan for each client, and how will the client and family be involved in developing and reviewing the care plan? Where can seniors and their families go for more information about homecare choices? family service senior resource center (217)-352-5100 They can contact their area agency on aging or local provider of senior information services. In champaign county, they can contact us at the family service senior resource center, (217) 352-5100. your family questions? themorningshow@wcia.com (217) 373-3661 If you need advice for handling issues in your family.. send in your questions. You can e-mail us at "the morning show at wcia-dot-com."