Guide To Home Care New York: Top Tips For Finding Quality Care
About 70% of adults 65 and older need some long-term care. Many older adults prefer to use in-home care to stay home and delay moving to assisted living. In-home care includes companionship, personal care, and skilled health care provided in a patient’s home.
Family members often take on these caregiving duties for older loved ones. They also rely on professional in-home care. How do families find quality care? In this blog, we’ll talk about important factors in the search:
- How families and care recipients benefit from professional home health care services
- What home health care agencies are
- Tips for choosing the best care agencies and professionals for your loved one
If you reside in New York, you have free access to Trualta for even more information about home care, respite, and caregiving. If you live in another state, you can check if you also have free access to Trualta.
Reasons To Use Professional Home Health Care
Many people act as unpaid family caregivers, but this isn’t the only option. There are several reasons to hire a professional for in-home care services for a loved one:
- You’re unable to provide as many hours or days of care as your loved one needs.
- You and other family members feel uncomfortable providing some types of care for your loved one.
- You’re a family caregiver but need respite care.
- Your loved one has medical needs that require a home health aid or nurse.
- Good care in the home can delay your loved one’s transition to assisted living.
- Management of health conditions at home can reduce unnecessary hospital trips.
A good way to find quality care for a loved one is to work with a home health care agency.
What Is A Home Health Care Agency?
A home health care agency is a company or organization that provides in-home, skilled health services. They provide certified home health aides for basic medical care. They also provide skilled nursing care.
Some agencies also provide non-medical home care, or personal care. This includes assistance with the tasks of daily living: chores, transportation, getting dressed, bathing, and making meals.
Agencies hire workers to provide these services. They do background checks and ensure they are qualified to do the work. A home care agency may also train its workers.
How To Choose The Best Quality Home Care
Choosing good care is important for the patient and the family. A reliable, qualified caregiver keeps your loved one safe. They provide companionship and help them live comfortably at home.
For the family, a good caregiver provides peace of mind. They provide assistance that makes your life easier. They also provide respite, so you can take time off for self-care. Here are some useful tips for your search.
Outline Your Care Needs
The first step in finding quality home care is to understand your loved one’s needs. How much care do they need? Do they need any skilled medical care?
Consider these options when deciding what type and how much care your loved one needs:
- The number of hours or days per week they need care
- If they only need companionship and basic safety monitoring
- If they need assistance with daily living tasks, like meals or errands
- If they need more personal care, such as assistance with bathing and dressing
- Any skilled medical care they need, including medication management or nursing care
It’s also important to consider the needs of people with dementia. If your loved one has dementia, they may need more specialized care.
Look At Your Finances
There are several ways to pay for home care services. Find out if your loved one qualifies for Medicaid. New York offers Medicaid-funded long-term care programs for qualifying patients.
If your loved one has private insurance, it probably covers some in-home care. If your loved one doesn’t have insurance and doesn’t qualify for Medicaid, you’ll need to decide how much you can afford to pay for care out of pocket. Have a figure in mind before you start talking to home care agencies.
Work With A Licensed Or Certified New York Home Care Agency
In general, it’s best to start the search for home care services with an agency. The New York State Department of Health requires that agencies be licensed or certified to provide services.
There are two types of agencies in New York:
- Certified Home Health Agencies (CCHA). A CCHA offers part-time and intermittent health-related services. Providers include home health aides, licensed or registered nurses, and physical and occupational therapists.
- Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSA). An LHCSA provides home care for individuals paying out of pocket or using private insurance.
The State Department of Health lists New York City and state CCHAs and LHCSAs. This is an excellent resource for your search. You can search for an agency by type, location, and name.
The page includes profiles of agencies. The profiles include patient satisfaction information. They also include performance information in measures like managing daily activities and preventing unplanned hospital care. This information can be useful as you narrow down your options.
Request Information From Home Care Agencies
You don’t have to choose the first home health care agency you find. You can request information and learn more about several agencies before choosing. Here are some important things to ask about:
- Background checks on employees
- How they hire employees
- How caregivers are trained
- Certifications caregivers hold
- Management policies and procedures
- How a caregiver will be selected to work with your loved one
- How the agency and caregivers communicate with the family
Make Sure It’s A Good Fit
Credentials and skills are important, but there are more factors that make a caregiver a good fit. Your loved one also has to feel comfortable with any caregiver in the home. The caregiver should be communicative and willing to follow expected duties or a care plan.
You don’t have to keep a caregiver who isn’t a good fit. If you have any concerns, talk to the agency. Tell them if you want to try another caregiver.
Finding home care for a loved one is a big decision. Take your time finding the right agency and caregiver. Come back to Trualta for more information about caregiving. If you reside in New York, you have free access. If you live in another state, you can check if you also have free access to Trualta.
References
- https://acl.gov/ltc/basic-needs/how-much-care-will-you-need
- https://health.ny.gov/facilities/home_care/consumer.htm
- https://www.cms.gov/medicare/health-safety-standards/guidance-for-laws-regulations/home-health-agencies/home-health-providers
- https://profiles.health.ny.gov/home_care/index
- https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/long-term-care.page
