There’s No Place Like Home

 There’s no place like home.

When you or a loved one have had a recent hospital stay or have received a life-altering medical diagnosis, it requires an understanding of both the necessary medical care that will be needed, as well as the issues you face in returning to a home environment. While coming home should be a time to relax and begin the road to recovery, it can also be tedious and stressful on the body and mind of the patient. Additional support and care provided by a “caregiver” may be necessary to help with recuperation and getting back to the daily activities of independent living. There are many options and services for you to consider.

When you need in-home care assistance, be cautious and diligent.

In these difficult economic times, it is very important to all of us to save money and protect our savings. In selecting a caregiver, it may be tempting to hire someone directly from a newspaper advertisement or entrust the care of your loved one to a friend-of-a-friend. This may appear to be an easier and less-costly alternative to working with a professional agency.  But, there are a few issues to consider before you make the decision to hire an independent caregiver.

Reliability and consistency of care and support are important to the recovery process for the care recipient. Be sure the caregiver you select is well trained and qualified to provide the care needed and will be a dependable worker. In hiring an independent you, as the employer, are responsible for Medicare and Social Security taxes for the people that you employ, which must be deposited on a regular basis. The American Journal of Industrial Medicine reports that 52 out of 1,000 home health care workers are injured on the job each year. Most homeowner insurance policies do not provide coverage for domestic help, so you will need to consider adding a rider to your current homeowner’s policy to protect you in the event of an injury of a worker and subsequent lawsuit.

Employing an in-home caregiver is an important decision. It is important you trust the company you select.  You have the right to ask an agency if they perform background checks on all employees, as well as fingerprints and drug screens. It is important to inquire what range of services a home care agency provides, including assistance with care outside normal business hours. Many full-service home health care agencies provide comprehensive health care in the home, at facilities, and work with physicians, discharge planners, and case managers to make sure their patients get the care they need.

The comforts of home and familiar surroundings

We all want to be in the comfort of our own home and surroundings. Remaining at home with the proper care and support can benefit the health and wellbeing of the patient. In-home health care is the first step for families faced with making decisions regarding daily living activities and medical care assistance for loved ones. Janice Pajk, R.N., C.R.N.I., the vice president of Interim Health Care in Akron, explains,  “with our participation with medical and non-medical services, we can often delay the move to an assisted living or a nursing home, giving the care recipient more time in the comforts of their own home while postponing the high-cost associated with health care facilities.”  Pajk continues, “It is important to always work with an established, reputable company committed to excellence in patient care and that hires only qualified, professional staff.”

 

 

 

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Note source: American Journal of Industrial medicine

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