Services can include skilled nursing, physical and occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Help may be needed with performing activities of daily living, also referred to as ADLs. These ADLs include eating, bathing, and getting dressed. On a lower level of care the services might include light housekeeping, cooking, laundry, and monitoring the consumers management of medications.
It is important that folks know the difference between health services and support services and understand them. Therapy provided in the home for a medical condition can include those that are also provided by a support agency. However, the health agency is geared more for medical need. The support agencies provide help with daily chores while the health provider assists those recovering from illness an injury.
The people who provide treatment for physical conditions usually are certified aides, LPNs, and therapists. These individuals work for agencies, public health departments, and hospitals and are licensed with the state. Individuals working with support services do not need to be licensed and depending on the program criteria, do not even need to be certified.
When considering home health services it is important that the agency provides support that is of the highest quality. Check with friends and family to get information to help you make a decision. Also contact your local agency for aging to get information about the service providers near you. They might not be able to make a recommendation but the will offer some helpful information to use when you investigate.
There are quite a few questions you need to be asking when looking at different agencies. To start, you need to know how long an agency has been in business. Find out if they have a brochure outlining the services provided and their cost. It is vital to match the services with the needs of the patient. Any agency that is not able to meet the clients needs should be disregarded.
Check to see what type of insurance the agency accepts. While services provided by support agencies are not typically covered, medically based services usually are. Make sure that the quality of care provided is certified by a national organization. Certification is a way to ensure that the providers are held to a certain standard.
Before you contact an agency write down all the questions you can think of. Include questions about the current license for the company and what type of insurance they carry. In addition, ask about supervision. It is important that you are confident that all interactions with your loved one are closely supervised. It is also vital that they keep open communication with family members.
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