Hiring in-home care
One of your fist steps into the world of the Sandwich Generation may be having to hire in-home assistance or care for your aging parent or relative when activities of daily living become a struggle.
In addition to navigating the world of payors you may find yourself having to hire someone to come into your parent’s home in order to provide care whether it be long term or temporary.
Often, home care falls into 3 categories: Nursing/nursing assistants, home care aides, and, “personal attendants” sometime referred to as custodial or companion care.
It can get complicated, but, whether or not insurance pays for this help mainly depends upon the patient having a “skilled care need”, i.e. something that only a licensed person (nurse or certified nursing assistant) can perform, or, their needs fall into “activities of daily living” such as eating or bathing that a home health aide can perform.
I’m here to tell you though, that companion care or “Sitter” service (safety, cooking, cleaning etc.) isn’t covered by insurance, yet, it’s often the most needed when an elder is remaining in the home with limitations.
No matter the needs of the patient, at one point you may be in the position of hiring in-home care, and, Caring.com has an excellent resource to help with hiring in-home care whether independently or through an agency.
Tags: Caring.com, hiring-an-in-home-caregiver, sandwich-generationRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Caregiver
2 opinions for Hiring in-home care
Steve Kirk
Jan 21, 2008 at 11:54 am
In home sitter services can be both life saver and nightmare. I have had both experiences. Napa County California is studying a proposal to fingerprint all hired in home care givers after some serious incidents of elder abuse. A nationwide initiative of this sort is long over due in my opinion. Until that happens, my suggestion is to use a non-medical agency like Home Instead or Care Tenders who backgrounds and bonds their employees. My parents are sadder, but nearly $40,000 poorer because they wanted to save a few dollars and use a “friend” of a friend. Steve Kirk writes Making Perfect Sense, a blog for Seniors, relatives and caregivers at http://www.theperfectsense.com.
Carol D. O'Dell
Jan 22, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I too, have had the good, bad, and the ugly when it comes to home care. It’s a real mixed bag. I suggest going through a reputable company–that’s licensed and insured–cause you need protection. Anytime your loved one is hospitalized ask if they qualify for follow up care. I could get six weeks of in home care covered by my mom’s insurance–and since she went in the hospital fairly regular, it really helped. They’ll also cover home health equipment such as beds, potty chairs, walkers, etc.
I never felt like I could truly take a break and not worry. Only one gal (who was paid through my mom’s insurance after a hospital stay) was truly a gem. I wrote about her in my book, Mothering Mother. Her name was Shirley and she was a light in our dim world.
Family caregivers need help, but finding the right help is a challenge.
~Carol D. O’Dell
Author of Mothering Mother: A Daughter’s Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir,
available on Amazon and in most bookstores.
http://www.mothering-mother.com
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: