Services

Questions to Ask a Potential Home Health Care Company

elder-careThere can be many, many health issues that cause difficulties and challenges for individuals to be at home without support and assistance. These can include recovery after a surgical procedure, caring for a newborn and mother if there were any complications, diseases, accidents and injuries, or long term care needs such as paralysis, stroke, dementia or difficulties as people age. In these situations, either for short or long duration needs, home health care can be the answer you are looking for.

Interviewing and choosing a home health care provider should not be an overwhelming task if you do a bit of planning in advance. You will need to decide if you want to use an agency or company or a single provider. If you choose a single provider then you are hiring just that person, which may pose problems if you need significant amounts of care. Obviously if you hire just one person you also run the risk of having times where that person may not be available, which is a very important consideration to keep in mind.

Choosing a home health care agency or company eliminates this type of concern. They have multiple trained, qualified and screened professionals that are available to work the shifts and the times that you need. In addition if the regular provider is not available there will be a backup staff member sent in place that will have written information to allow them to stand in without any difficulties or missed elements of the care required.

There are some questions that you can ask the company to ensure that you are choosing the best company to care for your loved one. The same questions can be used for temporary services or ongoing care; you can just tailor the question to meet your specific requirements.

Is your staff licensed and certified?

This may seem obvious but not all home health care providers, especially the individual’s offering their services, are licensed or certified. Working with a top home health care company or agency will prevent this from being an issue you have to consider as they will verify licenses and screen all employees.

What ongoing training and supervision is provided?

Top home health care companies provide ongoing professional development training for their staff as well as provide support for continuing education. They also have routine supervision schedules that ensure that staff are constantly evaluated and receives feedback in the interactions with clients.

What experience does your company have with clients like my loved one?

It is not unreasonable to ask the home health care company you are considering for specific information on their experience with patients that have similar issues as you or your loved one are experiencing. With past experience the staff will have a more comprehensive understanding of how to work with the patient as well as to assist in planning for challenges that may occur in the future in the case of long term care needs.

How do you match your staff with clients?

The best home health care agencies have experienced case managers that evaluate the needs of the patient and then match that patient with staff. This matching is not just about skill needs for the professional but also with an understanding of the type of personality that will be the best match for the patient.

Hiring a home health care agency will provide you and your loved one with the support, care and compassion that you need. Taking time to get the right company is always an important step and one that is certainly worth the effort.

Information offered by Capitalcitynurses.com, a home health care agency that provides both short and long term services to patients with a range of medical needs.

If you have any questions, please ask below!