Ensuring Quality Home Care for Your Senior Loved One
If you are finding yourself overtaxed and in need of support for your loved one, you are not alone. The home care industry is one of the fastest growing fields in the U.S. The market is flooded with home care agencies due to a growing number of Americans over the age of 65 in need of supplemental care.
“As people age, they become more susceptible to disease and disability. However, much of the burden of ill health among older people can be reduced or prevented by adequately addressing specific risk factors...” (World Health Organization) Ensuring your loved one’s safety and well-being becomes a priority when you live in other parts of the country, are the main care provider for your own family, have a demanding work schedule, etc...
If you are considering home care, it is crucial to find an agency that can provide the quality of care you want for your loved one. Inviting another person into your loved one’s home alters the lives of everyone involved. It may take a little time to convince your loved one they need some extra support. It can also be daunting to imagine a “stranger” in the family home. But, with the right plan in place and caregiver, you and your loved one will soon realize the many benefits to having the professional support.
The question remains: How can you tell good home care from bad home care? In this article, we’ll give you some tips that will help you select quality care.
Avoid High Risk, Low-Screened Home Care
It’s a real challenge to find the right home care provider and it takes some diligence and research. Small, independent and low-priced home care often comes with limited expertise. Hiring an ill-prepared, poorly-trained caregiver can put your loved one at risk.
For example, an unexperienced, paid caregiver got confused between pill bottles and gave the wrong medication to a 103-year-old patient, according to Dr. Lee Lindquist, a geriatrician at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“People have a false sense of security when they hire a caregiver from an agency,” said Lindquist.
Lindquist’s words reflect the results of her published research study, Hiring and Screening Practices of Agencies Supplying Paid Caregivers to Older Adults. In a study of 462 home care agencies, only half of the operators conducted criminal background checks (55.8 percent). In addition, only about one-third (31.8 percent), conducted drug tests on potential caregivers.
Per the research, many of the 462 caregiving agencies provide limited training ranging from zero to seven days. The skills competency of a caregiver was assessed using feedback from self-reports (58.5 percent), testing (35.2 percent) and client feedback (35.2 percent). Clearly, home care agencies do not always use objectivity to determine the qualification of a potential hire.
Furthermore, poor home care agencies had little to no managerial involvement to maintain quality control. Bad home care lacks a system to ensure consistent, proper care for elderly clients. "Supervision ranged from none to weekly and included home visits, telephone calls and caregivers visiting the central office," per the study.
Abuse, reckless misbehavior and a poor attitude from a caregiver are serious issues. Your elderly loved one deserves to feel safe with a professional caregiver. Take the time to assess the home care operator before committing.
The Best Home Care Pays Attention
When selecting a home care provider, it's safer to trust a large, national brand with an excellent reputation for superior home care. The operator will allow multiple interviews during the selection process. Before making the decision, your loved one and the family will determine if there is good chemistry between the caregiver and care recipient.
A high-quality home care provider requires workers to complete a thorough background check. He or she should be certified in CPR and should have at least three years’ experience in senior home care, and three professional references from the field. Moreover, the professional caregiver should possess emotional intelligence, empathy and good character to successfully interact with your loved one.
Home caregivers also serve as a companion to their clients and provide social stimulation along with at home living assistance with daily personal tasks such as grooming, dressing, bathing, grocery runs, blood pressure checks and medication reminders.
The best home care providers offer personalized home care services. A case manager will visit your loved one in his/her home to make an initial assessment and develop a care plan specifically designed for them. They will adjust requirements throughout services as needed.
High Stakes Demand a Higher Quality of Care
If your loved one was recently discharged from the hospital, hiring a caregiver from a qualified agency will aid in a successful recovery. A quality, professional home caregiver can dramatically reduce a costly hospital readmission. The first month after a hospital discharge is critical, focusing on stabilization. Senior adults have a much lower chance of recovery if they are re-hospitalized in this 30-day window, which is why it is so crucial to provide specific care needed to help your loved one regain their health and ensure they can stay at home where they are comfortable and their environment is familiar.
A quality home caregiver monitors the health of your loved one. Should something go wrong, this person can make an emergency call. You will also be promptly notified. The vigilance of quality home care means precious, life-saving moments won’t be missed.
Personalized Home Care Matters
An established home care agency with multiple locations also signals a high level of experience caring for people with varying health conditions. Reputable agencies will have professional caregivers trained specifically to assist your loved one should they suffer from cognitive decline like dementia or Alzheimer's, as well as other serious ailments, such as, ALS, cancer, diabetes, and depression due to social isolation.
Professional caregivers are trained in the areas of transfers, bathing, medication reminders, accompaniment to doctor’s appointments, and much more.
Examples of home care programs:
• Dementia Home Care
• Alzheimer's Home Care
• Cognitive Health Plans
• Palliative Care
• End of Life Care
• Fall Risk Prevention Plans
• 24-hour care, live-in care, hourly / weekly care, or temporary care
You can be assured your loved one is safe and well cared for with Visiting Angels Newton/Canton, an established and award-winning home care agency. Contact us now to learn more about how Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can help today. We have on-call operators after business hours with case managers standing by and available to answer any questions you may have and schedule an in-home assessment.
About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton
Visiting Angels Newton/Canton senior homecare agency provides high quality in-home care services to seniors and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our dementia care, companion care, respite support for family caregivers, transitional aid, and elder home care services in Wellesley, Natick, Newton, Needham, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Canton, Westwood, Dedham, Watertown, Stoughton, Roslindale, Norwood and nearby towns . The services provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton will be sure to make a big impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life. Call us today at 617-795-2727 for more information.