top of page
Home Care

Increasing numbers of patients need continuing professional medical services when they return home. Professional home health care services includes a broad range of care and support services for those who are recovering from a hospital stay, who are disabled, chronically- or terminally-ill, and need medical, nursing, social, or therapeutic treatment and/or assistance with the essential activities of daily living. Home care services are typically provided by home care organizations.

There are a variety of home care organizations, including Medicare certified home health care agencies, Visiting Nurse Agencies (VNAs); hospices; area agencies on aging, homemaker agencies; staff and private duty nursing agencies. Other companies may be utilized to deliver specialized services and products such as medical equipment and supplies, pharmaceuticals, and drug infusion therapy.

Home healthcare is skilled care to help someone get healthy while at home. It comes after a doctor's visit or a hospital stay. It's services provided by medical professionals.

What you get from home health care:

  • Skilled nursing

  • At-home physical therapy

  • Pain management

  • Caring for wounds

  • Prescription management

  • Rehabilitation and recovery from a health problem or a disease

  • Help with personal grooming like bathing or getting dressed

  • Help with moving around and getting in and out of bed or the shower

  • Medication reminders

  • Helping a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia by grounding and orienting them

  • Help with errands like grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions

  • Help preparing meals

  • Help with household chores like vacuuming or doing laundry

  • Companionship and friendship so your loved one is not alone

Who needs home health care?

 

  • Older Americans who have health problems, but who want to maintain their independence in their homes with the support of a professional caregiver.

  • Patients of all ages who return home after surgery, and need care, supervision or assistance.

  • Patients who have complex treatments that require use of medical equipment and/or medication monitoring. 

  • Mothers and newborns, home from the hospital after 24 or 48 hours who are in need of further education, support and clinical assessment skills of a trained nurse.

  • Young adults, recovering from accidents or injuries, who can manage on their own - if they know an experienced healthcare worker will be there when needed. 

  • Mentally ill adults who need support to remain in the mainstream of their community

  • Adults who want their parents to have quality care at home. 

  • And millions of Americans with chronic diseases and disabilities, like Alzheimer's, heart failure, kidney disease, or diabetes, who need careful monitoring but do not want or need to enter a nursing home or skilled care facility.

All- Care Medical Center will find the right Home Health care

 

When selecting an agency, we ask the appropriate questions during your initial meeting. Below is a list of sample questions:

  • How many years has the agency been serving your community?

  • Does the agency offer printed material describing its services and costs? (i.e. brochures, flyers)

  • Is the agency an approved Medicare provider?

  • Is the agency accredited? In other words, has their quality of care been surveyed and approved by an outside accrediting organization (such as CHAP, JCAHO or Medicare)?

  • Is the agency licensed by your state (if required)?

  • Does the agency provide patients with a "Bill of Rights" that outlines the rights and responsibilities of the agency, patient, and caregiver alike?

  • Is there a written plan of care for the patient's treatment that the patient, physician and family participate in developing?

  • Is this plan updated over the course of the treatment?

  • Does the patient get a copy of the plan?

  • Does the agency staff educate the family members on the care being administered to the patient and ways they can assist?

  • Is the patient's course of treatment documented, detailing the specific tasks to be carried out by each professional? (i.e. medicines, exercises, daily activities)

  • Are supervisors assigned to oversee care to ensure that the patient receive quality treatment?

  • Are agency caregivers available seven days a week?

  • Does the agency have a nursing supervisor on call and available 24 hours a day?

  • Does the agency ensure patient confidentiality? How?

  • How are agency employees hired and trained?

  • Does the agency require criminal record background checks and communicable disease screens for its employees?

  • What is the procedure for resolving issues that may arise between the patient/family and home healthcare staff?

  • Who can you call with questions or complaints regarding patient care, caretaker issues or general questions?

  • What happens if a staff member fails to make a scheduled visit?

  • What should the patient do in this situation?

  • Who does the agency call if the agency caretaker cannot come when scheduled? (i.e. patient or family member)

  • What is the agency caretaker required to do? (i.e. inform patient, reschedule)

  • How does the agency handle billing? (i.e., will I be billed for services?)

  • Will the agency provide a list of references?

 

If you purchase home healthcare services from an individual rather than through an agency, it is important to screen the individual person(s) providing the scheduled care. Interview the caregiver to be sure he or she is qualified for the job. It is helpful to ask for references, as well as, to have a list of required tasks the caretaker may have to perform with the patient (i.e. getting in and out of a wheelchair, bathing, administering specific types of medicine). This way you know that he or she can indeed perform these tasks.

bottom of page