What is health care at home?
Services health care at home can offer you and your family a trained medical and personal care assistant. Note, however, that health care at home is limited to specific tasks.
For information about the types of agencies health care at home, insurance coverage, choosing an agency and the referral process, we recommend you read the guide for companion care home health: a guide for the family caregiver .
What are the types of personal care?
Many different people provide direct care at home. Between them:
Attendees for health care at home and the personal care attendants primarily provide personal care, including care for feeding, bathing, walking and dressing, as well as activities related to independent living, such as shopping, preparing food and go to the laundry.
Attendees for health care at home are allowed to do certain tasks relating to health and personal care. They can take the temperature of the patient and control blood pressure. They can change a dry dressing (no one with blood or pus), move your arms and legs and help the patient exercises to expand the range of motion, as simple stretches. In general, they are not allowed to give medication to the patient; each state has different rules regarding what can and can not do.
Note that an assistant care home health in general is at home only to provide patient services, and are not supposed to provide services to the spouse or other household inhabitants. If you pay from your own pocket, you can assign tasks to include other household members. (Some managed care companies include a child care if the patient is the family head.)
Personal care assistants share many of the same tasks as assistants for health care at home. The differences between the assistants for health care in the home and personal care attendants depend on the requirements of each state in terms of training.
Many people believe that personal care does not require many skills. That is not like that. Some tasks can be very difficult, as bathe a person with dementia or move (move) to a heavy patient.
Home helpers can assist your family with light housework, laundry, small grocery shopping and food preparation and other household tasks that would allow the family to remain at home. House aides generally do not provide personal care such as bathing and dressing the patient, and are not housekeepers. Heavier tasks and complete housecleaning in general are not made by the house helper.
For information about how to find and choose home care also read Care Home Health: A Guide for the family caregiver .
If you hire agency staff or paid to a worker of his own pocket, make sure in advance to understand the role of each person. Know what you can do and what each person can do.
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What should I know about working with an assistant for health care at home?
If you hire assistants through a private agency, make sure in advance which includes the role of each person. Know what can and can not do each person. Also you want to be clear on what you can and can not do. Each situation is different and will need to agree the details.
In general, participants spend more time with his family nurses or physical therapists. When an assistant for health care at home comes home for the first time, plan to spend some time together. Show him the house, and explain the routines that your family prefers. If you do not live in the same home as your family, you may want to call during the day to stay in touch and regularly go visit without calling first.
Other things to think about:
If you need the wizard can drive your car, check the history of your driving record and contact your insurance company to make sure your vehicle is covered in case of an accident. If the person drive your own car as part of the work, make sure the car is safe and secure check.
Terms and expectations: If you hire privately, be clear about your expectations. Write them in a simple arrangement. Include times and that have agreed to pay, if the schedules and the cost of food are included, including vacation time and an alternative plan if the wizard can not arrive on time or have to cancel. These situations arise, but if you have an alternative plan, will be better positioned to make other arrangements. If you are using the services of an agency, make sure you understand its terms.
Emergencies: Leave a list of emergency phone numbers, including your family doctor and all phone numbers where they can contact you. Place the list where anyone can find it easily. Develop an emergency plan, and make sure all know. If you are using the services of an agency, you should ask them about their policy emergencies. For example , is who should be called first in case of an emergency, and when an assistant is supposed to call 911?
Valuables: As you would with any foreign worker who enters your home, keep private papers, cash and valuables in a safe place.
Wizard relationships: They are not allowed to agency workers have visitors. If you hire your own, you should discuss whether or not he have visitors. Also talk about any other personal issue that could interfere with the care that will provide your family.
The relationship between you, the participants and their family is a relationship business. You and your family can take affection to attendees, and this is fine, but it's still a business relationship. attendees are hired to carry out a service. Do not expect to do more than they are allowed or what they are prepared to do. On the other hand, know when to set limits, even when that limit is not obvious. It needs to be clear about what behaviors you do not consider acceptable.
Should I hire someone who does not work for an agency?
You may need or want to hire more help for home care that will pay your insurance company. Or you may need help after exhausting insurance coverage. If your family still needs help from a health care home exhausted after coverage, you may want to continue using that agency and pay them directly. In these cases, you must pay with money from their own family.
Remember that when you hire someone on your own, also assumes the role of supervisor and financial manager. It could not have an alternative plan when the wizard report sick or have a personal emergency. If you will be notified, you can hire a replacement, but often these programming changes happen at the last minute. You can bring problems for you and your family routine. These issues can be resolved, but keep them in mind if you are considering hiring someone on their own.
You may know someone reliable who can do the job and already knows his family. Or you can place an advertisement in a neighborhood newspaper or an online service, or ask your friends and coworkers. Be sure to select all candidates by phone telling them about your family, the kind of help you need and basic job description. Then you can interview in person only who seems to be suitable for the job.
Have some identification and references. Be sure to call these references and ask about work habits, attitude and reliability of the person. If the person is an assistant for health care at home, check with the licensing authority of the state to ensure that It is certified. If the person is not an assistant for health care at home, then you can use terms like personal care attendant, home helper or companion. Some states have a certification for personal care assistants and home aide. The "companion" or other titles are simply personal choice; there are generally no accreditation, state licensing or certification.
Some states maintain a database or registry, which contains lists of nurses and assistants for health care at home. You can call these records and request a list for your location, or information may be available on the Internet. In some states, these records are regulated and licensed. By using these records, family caregivers should ask specific questions about the training and qualifications of the worker. Check the website of the Health Department of your state to see if there is a record.
The strength of family care at home can be for fear of losing independence.
Make a list of tasks you want to do the person, and make sure you have the training or experience necessary for such tasks. For example, if your family has memory problems or tends to ramble, you want to make sure that the person has training and experience working with people with similar needs. You also want to make sure that the person has patience and not be upset by the behavior of his family.
What kinds of problems can arise and how can I solve?
Regular meetings and open communication can help solve problems before they arise. If the situation can not be resolved, then you need a different worker.
Two of the most common problems are resistance to outsiders and cultural differences.
Resistance to strangers
Many older people resist the idea that they do not know people who come to your home and this may include attendees for health care at home. They may insist that they do not need such care, who can take care of themselves to perfection and that you, as your relative, is the only person I trust. If this problem is not resolved, your family may dismiss the worker or make it work so hard to give up.
Part of this resistance comes from fear of theft, abuse and other ills. Most, however, probably comes from the fear of losing their independence. This is common and there is no simple solution. However, you can talk to your family about the tasks for which no help is needed. Tell your family to have help actually allow you to do more things and can avoid health problems in the future.
Cultural respect is important for everyone. Be sure to discuss differences in language and food, among others, in advance.
You can also remind your family of your other responsibilities. Your job, your family and your children also need. Explain that attendees make it possible for you to be a good child and a good father (or whatever the combination of relations). You should not feel guilty if you can not provide all the care. And should not assume that it can provide all care for a long time, no matter how much you want or feel it should. You can not help your family if you are exhausted, anxious or overwhelmed.
Attendees for health care in the household experienced know how to handle patients who do not want their help. They do not take the rejection personally. Some will be strong, while others gently distract the patient. You may have to try several assistants until you find the one with a style that best suits your family. Sometimes what starts badly ends well when the family and the worker learn to understand and appreciate each other.
Cultural differences
Cultural respect between health care assistant in the home and family is really important. Start by names. Ask the assistant if you want to be called by his first name or his last name, "Mary" or "Ms. Jones ". At the same time, tell them how you want and your family to be called. Some people are quite informal at this point. Others, particularly the elderly, do not like being called by his first name. Also, many people do not like to be told "affection", "love", "Mom" or nicknames.
You can avoid many problems if cultural differences are addressed from the beginning. Often, however, they are only addressed once the problem occurred. Many attendees are women who belong to minority groups of immigrants.
Good nutrition is essential for good health. As people age, they may find that foods previously enjoyed no longer have the same taste. Or they may be sensitive to odors that are unfamiliar. If the health worker in the home kitchen spicy food or have a strong smell, your family may refuse to eat them. In this case, you should talk with the worker and his family to develop a food plan that you both agree.
So are many of the patients they care for. If your family does not speak English, ask an assistant who speaks the same language. Many attendees who speak different languages at home, can speak and understand English well enough to communicate with his family.
Other differences may arise that are related to food, religious practices or daily routines. If you and your family follow certain religious practices and other practices, you should explain them to the audience. They may have care of other patients of their religion and may assume that their practices are the same when in fact they are not. At the same time, the worker should ask if there is something you should know about their culture and religious practices - things that can affect your ability to work. Have respect for mutual cultural differences can really create a link between the worker and his family.
By Rosaki