Home Health Care New York: How To Find The Help That’s Right For You
Choosing the right home health care is essential for patients and their loved ones. Good home health care helps care recipients stay home longer. The right care delays the move to long-term care or a skilled nursing facility.
Whether you’re looking for home care services for primary care needs or respite for the family caregiver, it’s a big decision. We have expert tips for finding a New York state home care service. In this article, we’ll talk about:
- Understanding your care needs
- Using a family or professional caregiver
- Working with a home health care agency
- Resource for finding care in New York state
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.
Understanding Your Care Needs
There are many options for home care. It’s important to clarify what your loved one needs before starting your search:
- Someone to provide companionship and light housework
- Transportation and assistance with errands
- A home health aid who can meet personal care needs, like assistance with bathing and dressing
- More skilled care, such as helping with medications or changing bandages
- Skilled nursing care
Only registered nurses can provide skilled nursing care, but other providers can offer different home care services. Anyone you trust can provide companionship, housework, and errands.
A home health aide who assists with hygiene, personal care, and basic medical care should be trained and experienced.
Family Caregivers vs. A Certified Home Health Aide
A family member can be a caregiver in many situations. Medicaid recipients can use the New York Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program to choose their caregiver. This allows family caregivers to be paid for their duties.
Another option is to use a professional home health care worker. A family member isn’t always available to provide care and may not be able to provide as much care as the recipient needs. In these situations, you can turn to a professional to provide primary or part-time care.
There are other good reasons to choose a professional home care worker:
- A professional can provide short-term respite care if you already care for a family member. This gives you, the caregiver, time off for self-care.
- Professionals can take over duties in unexpected situations or emergencies. There may be times when you can’t be there. A professional can fill in.
- A professional can provide more skilled services, while a family caregiver provides companionship and housework.
- Family members sometimes feel uncomfortable providing home care. In these cases, a professional is a good option.
Using A Home Health Care Agency
If you choose to use professional services, you’ll need to look for a home care agency. Here are some factors to consider as you put together a list of agencies:
- Licensing or certification. New York law requires that home health care agencies be certified or licensed. Ask any agency about their credentials before hiring them.
- Caregiver training. Ask agencies how their caregivers are trained. Ask what they’re qualified to do and what they’re not qualified to do.
- Background checks. You can ask agencies about background checks for their employees.
- References. You should also ask for references from past or existing patients or families.
- Personal rapport. Your loved one should be comfortable with the person providing care.
- Costs and financing. Some home care may be covered if your loved one qualifies for Medicaid. Home care may also be covered under a private insurance plan. Find out how much home care will cost before committing to an agency.
Go over your loved one’s care plan with the agency and caregiver you choose. This ensures they know what duties are expected. Talk about how they will monitor and assess the care plan over time.
New York Home Care Resources
New Yorkers have excellent home health care resources provided by the state government. The NY State Department of Health offers a profile page for home care agencies. The listings include two types of agencies you can search to find the right care:
- Certified Home Health Agencies provide caregivers for intermittent and part-time support services. Services include intermediate to skilled care.
- Licensed Home Care Services Agencies provide home care professionals for patients and their families who pay out of pocket or with private insurance.
You can search this profile page by provider name, type, or location. Use it to create a list of reputable and qualified agencies. You can then narrow down your options using other factors.
New York also offers respite programs. These services provide short-term in-home care to give family caregivers time off. Short-term care can be for a few hours or up to a few weeks.
The New York State Office for the Aging has information about respite programs and eligibility requirements.
Choosing home health care is a big decision. Consider all your options, what your loved one needs, and who can provide the best care.
Learn more about caregiving, in-home professional care, and other resources from Trualta. This link will help you determine if you have free access.
References
