Understanding In-Home Caregivers

If you are looking for senior care options for your elderly relative in Tarzana, you’ll see that you have a number of options available. Since in-home care is among the most affordable and the most comfortable options for the majority of seniors, we are presenting you some information that could be useful for your decision-making process.

Home care option

According to senior care experts, most clients prefer staying in their home. Nonetheless, when their families or friends cannot meet the care needs, they will opt for the home care services. Home health care or in-home personal care is when the seniors remain in their homes as they receive professional assistance. The support can be offered by caregivers who are registered nurses or by people without such qualifications, and it is aimed at helping the seniors remain independent.

There are two major options:

1. Personal Care/Custodial Care. This type of care is offered by a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) or a Certified Nurse Assistant (CAN). It entails the daily tasks like cooking, cleaning, toileting, grooming, and bathing. In some cases, the PCAs will remind the seniors to take their medication, though they don’t qualify to offer medical care.

2. Home Health/Skilled Care. Senior care agencies that offer home health will attend to seniors that require constant medical treatment, as well as personal care. They are normally handled by a registered nurse or other qualified health care administrators. State and federal laws normally regulate the home health agencies. Also, they are Medicaid and Medicare certified, meaning that seniors with these medical programs can finance the home health care services.

How can you pay for your home care?

The payment method for home care services depends on the type of agency. Some in-home care agencies in Tarzana accept either of the following payment methods:

Medicaid/Medicare. Any agency that accepts these two programs must meet specific federal requirements and they must be offering skilled nursing services. That is why these medical programs are only available for home health agencies.

Cash. Every single in-home agency accepts payments through cash.

Insurance. Home health care services can be funded using policies and insurance, such as Medigap. The insurance policies are suitable for seniors that need constant medical care. However, they cannot be used to fund for the regular personal care like the daily tasks.

You can visit the official National Council on Aging website to learn about the benefits that a senior citizen qualifies for.

What happens before in-home care is offered?

Before the agency officially starts to deliver the services to a senior client, an assessment needs to be made whether done in person or over the phone. Through the assessment, the caregiver/agency will get to meet with the family members and determine what is required. They will know how many hours in a day or days in a week is needed to attend to the client.

Choosing the right home care agency

If you want to find the perfect agency for a senior citizen, you must start by determining the level of care that the senior needs. Decide if the senior’s state is delicate and whether they need skilled care, or if they need general environmental assistance with the custodial care. Here are some few factors to consider when choosing a home care agency:

• They must have enough experience in the field.
• They should offer documents that describe their services, fees, and other relevant information.
• They must explain what the client should pay and all the available options.
• The caregivers they work with must be qualified and checked for any criminal record.
• They must show you all the available home care services they offer.
• What is their track record with previous senior clients?

In general, the in-home care agency must prove to be professional, reliable, and efficient enough to handle the senior clients according to their needs. A qualified home care agency should also help you understand everything that is entailed and offer their services at affordable rates as well.