We are fortunate to live in a time frame where care at home is conceivable for our loved ones as they age. Once specific to nursing homes, care at home was often regarded as a final option when family members could no longer tackle the needs of their loved ones on their own. Home care makes taking care of our loved ones convenient and relaxing. The advantage of professional, skilled nursing assistants who pay a visit to seniors in their, or their family’s, home, provides that the finest care is given in cases where health or physical issues limit one’s ability to care for themselves.
In-home care agencies have popped up all over the country. The course of action of hiring an agency starts out with proper exploration and taking the time to evaluate each agency in order to assess their level of excellence, and their nursing staff’s experience, in relation to each family’s individual needs. It’s vital that each family take the time to make sure the home care agency they hire are up to date in licensing requirements, and that their nursing staff are clear of criminal backgrounds. This is specifically true if elder care will be supplied when family members are not around to manage when skilled nursing staff comes to visit. A high sense of trust needs to be identified between both parties in order to ensure a long-term, favorable, relationship.
The following 5 ideas are offered to those who are opening their research into finding care at home for their elderly family members.
1. Referral Sources
Ask friends, family and co-workers for testimonials to local companies they are familiar with. Inquire about their personal experiences, good and bad. Contact the elder’s long term care insurance company and ask for referrals (if in-home care is covered by their plan.) You can even contact your family health care provider and ask for local references. Your last choice is to try the world wide web, but if you choose this route, make sure to spend extra time looking into each company more thoroughly, as you won’t have personalized experience to judge these companies by.
2. Background Checks
Once you’ve focused a short list of companies you wish to examine further, make sure to ask what types of screening processes they put their nursing staff through prior to hiring them. Criminal background checks, credit checks, and checking individual references should be typical in all companies.
3. Staff Skills & Experience
Question as to what the minimum credentials each company demands when hiring their care providers. Do they only hire college educated nurses? Are their care providers certified nursing assistants? Or, do they simply demand that their staff have a track record in helping care for the elderly? The more innovative their requirements, the better care will likely be offered.
4. Company Reputation
Check with your local Better Business Bureau to analyzeeach company’s general rating. Do they have multiple complaints listed? Are there any remarkable problems? You can also try a general search online by typing in the company’s name and the word “complaint” into any search engine to observe what comes up from the general public’s perception.
5. Licensing
Be certain any company you deal with has the proper city, county and state licensing latest and in good standing. Do away with the worry of hiring any company that is not legit in practice.
Finally, don’t be shy about asking many in depth questions. All trustworthy companies pride themselves in customer satisfaction and should be happy to openly, and willingly, offer up any and all information to prospective clients. Due diligence on your part will ensure a long-term, advantageous experience for yourself and your family members.
When researching options for home care agencies in Darien IL, Home care counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Darien.
