If you’re recovering from surgery, an injury, or any other medical condition, there’s a very high likelihood that you’re going to need some help in your home. It may even be the case that a family member is facing such a situation and requires some extra assistance. In this kind of scenario, the care of the patient is entrusted to a team from a home health care agency. When that happens, you must make sure that you opt for nothing but the best quality service available. After all, when it comes to health and recovery, you shouldn’t take any chances.
That said, working with the right home health care service is quite possible as long as you’re able to communicate effectively right from the very beginning. To help you out, here are some factors that are important for you to consider before hiring:
- The Basic Qualifications
There are specific basic qualifications that a home health care service must have for them to be considered of high calibre. While choosing among many options, select the one that meets most, if not all, of the qualifications required. To get a better idea about this, you could consider looking up a health care provider such as Tandem Careplanning.
Here’s a list of the essential qualifications that they must possess:
- Proper licenses required by the state to operate a home health care service
- Stringent employee screening procedures performed by the home health care service
- Proper certifications by Medicare, or any equivalent body authorized within your locality, confirming that the agency meets the federal requirements for health and safety
- The Services Offered
What type of assistance do you need from the home health care service? Whatever this may be, it must be provided by the agency you’re potentially going to hire. Apart from simply possessing the necessary qualifications, they must also have expertise in that service. In this way, you can rest assured that even when you’re away for the day, your loved one who is under their care at home is doing well.
Here are some of the standard services that quality home health care services should provide:
- Personal Care Service
This includes assisting in the following areas:
- Toileting and incontinence care
- Bathing and dressing
- Mobility, transferring and positioning
- Feeding
- Professional Nursing Care Services
- Emergency Management
- In-Home Assessment
- Rehabilitative Care
- Medication And Pain Management
This list is not common to all home health care services, so be sure to ask them straight away what options they provide.
- The Quality Of Care Provided
When talking about the quality, there are two ways for you to get a bird’s eye view. First is by asking for recommendations from other families or patients that they have previously handled. If the home health care service has a portfolio, ask to see it so you can read through the recommendations and feedback section. You can also take it a step further by having a discussion with these previous patients.
Another way for you to get an overall idea of the quality is to ask questions that will help you decide if their services are up to the mark. This includes issues like the following:
- Are the agency’s employees friendly and helpful regarding your concerns? This observation will give you a fair idea of their culture and how much they value excellent customer service.
- How does the agency train their medical staff? Do they train and update their skills regularly?
- Are the caregivers, nurses, aides, and other employees licensed and certified by the proper authorities?
- Does the home healthcare service stay up-to-date with the latest gadgets that can help make monitoring and treatment of health better?
- The Availability Of A Care Plan
Excellent home health care services should provide you, the patient, or family members with a detailed care plan. This is a personalized care plan that is dependent on the needs of the patient. It can cover anything like having a fixed schedule for the day, the frequency and dose of medicines required, therapies to be done, and other recreational activities.
A copy should be given to the family members so that they know what care is being given to the patient, especially when they’re absent. This care plan should also be updated regularly, depending on the progress and any additional needs of the patient.
- The Costs
It is very important to ask about the fees upfront. If you’ve got insurance, double-check to see whether or not this service is covered by it. If not, then all the more reason for you to inquire about the costs. In this way, you’ll also have an idea early on about how to fit this expense into your family’s budget. Always ask for a detailed written plan as to the monthly costs and fees.
Conclusion
Home health care services are the recourse for individuals or families with members who can no longer care for themselves. At times, this is only temporary. However, in other instances, this can also be permanent. When you’re putting the care of your loved one’s health, treatment, and recovery in the hands of a stranger, you’ll want to be sure that you’re working with the best quality service providers. As you start your search for one, keep the pointers mentioned above in mind.
