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Which Home Care Agency Is Right for You?

Elderly Couple with daughterThere are a lot of home care agencies out there, but how do you know you are choosing the right agency when you decide on who will help care for your loved one? A-Abiding Care knows how difficult this decision can be, so we have a list of questions to ask agencies that will help make the process easier:

Services

  • Service listing. Do they offer services specific to your loved one’s required needs? Is someone available to provide information on all services, eligibility requirements and funding sources? Is that information available online or can they send it to you?
  • Screening, training and supervision. Are all caregivers employees of the agency that are thoroughly screened prior to employment? What formal training programs and certifications does the agency require of its direct care providers? What level of professional supervises the care? How often and how do the supervisors oversee the caregivers on location to ensure proper care is being provided?
  • Documentation and coordination. Are visits and treatments documented? Do family members have easy access? Does the agency coordinate with the client’s physician to provide a coordinated care plan?

Direct Care Providers

  • Rotation of care. Is care provided consistently by the same caregiver, or is care rotated among different people? If rotated, how often? Does the family receive advance notice when a change is being made?
  • Accessibility. Do the agency office staff stay in regular contact? Do they keep you informed of any changes in your loved one’s health or plan of care?

If you are looking for a home care agency in the greater Chicago area, contact A-Abiding Care today, to learn more about our quality home care services. Our team of compassionate caregivers  is ready to meet your loved one’s individual needs. Schedule a free in-home assessment, and we will create a comprehensive care plan and help you and your loved one through each step!

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Long-Term Care at Home – Assessing and Coordinating Needs

Woman HelpingWhether you’ve lived in the same house or apartment for decades or you’ve moved around a lot over the years, your home is usually where you feel safe and the most comfortable. It’s no wonder that as we age, we want to stay in our home as long as possible, where we’re surrounded with familiar things and we have our own routines.

Many studies have shown that elderly people prefer to age in the comfort of their own homes, instead of relocating to an assisted living facility or nursing home. But sometimes to achieve this goal, outside help is needed in the form of in-home health care. And when navigating the many services to help make aging at home comfortable and safe, planning for home health care may require the input of a professional who fully understands all of the options and can help coordinate services. Proper care coordination from an eldercare specialist will help everyone involved feel much more organized and at ease.

Who Can Help?

For many, senior in-home care involves several aspects of their lives, including diet, physician visits and medications, and activities of daily living. Trying to coordinate all of these can be a daunting task for a family caregiver. What most people do not realize is that home care agencies, like A-Abiding Care, can help identify, locate, and coordinate all of the components for successful long-term, at-home care.

Our trained professionals will do an assessment, learning what home care services are needed now and what may be needed in the future. This RN assessment will be the basis of a comprehensive care plan, and continuing supervisory assessments will evaluate if any changes are needed along the way. In-home assistance covers many aspects of daily living, such as taking medicines on time, taking care of light housekeeping and cooking, bathing and grooming, and more.

A-Abiding Care helps provide senior home health care in the Norwood Park and Park Ridge areas every day. Contact us today to see how we can help you.

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Home Care Agency, a Registry, or Privately Hired Caregivers – What’s the Difference?

In-Home CaregiversWhen it’s time to choose in-home care for seniors, family members may not know where to start. They may know – or suspect – that home care is needed, but what questions should they ask? What details should they look for?

With choices between hiring a professional home care agency, a privately hired individual, or using a registry, which option is best? Here are just five reasons (and there are many more) to suggest that going with a professional home care agency, like A-Abiding Care, is best:

  1. Skip the laborious search for a qualified caregiver. An agency not only checks references and performs thorough background and driving record checks, but it also takes care to find the perfect caregiver match for each client, taking into account personality, hobbies and common interests, in addition to requested schedule and geographic accessibility.
  2. Rest assured in the competency of the caregiver. An agency often provides ongoing caregiver training as well as an orientation. Ongoing monitoring means that any needed changes or assistance can be identified and corrected.
  3. Tax responsibilities fall on the agency – not on you. If a client hires a home health caregiver through a registry or independent hire, the client is responsible for the caregiver’s payroll taxes (which often is not disclosed). Alternatively, because all caregivers from an agency are employees of the agency, all payroll taxes are paid for by the agency.
  4. Caregiver illness and vacation time are covered. It’s inevitable that at some point, a chosen home health caregiver will become ill or wish to take a vacation. An agency provides a backup caregiver if your regular caregiver is ill or on vacation. Additionally, an agency handles all worker discipline, to assist with situations such as showing up late for work.
  5. Leave the supervision to us. An agency provides supervision of all home health caregivers by a qualified individual. With a registry or independent hire, there is no oversight of care, opening up a client to potential financial, mental or physical abuse.

There are many options for senior home care out there. If you’re still unsure about which option is best for you, give us a call at 847-698-1400 or email us so we can answer your questions. We can discuss the services we offer, such as light housekeeping and personal assistance. We’ll explain how assessments are done, and how your loved one’s caregivers will be chosen.

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