Home Health Aide Options

When considering a home health aide for your loved one, you need to know that there are more than one kind of aide. One kind might work better than another in your situation. So, you should explore your options and learn about what each kind of aide has to offer you and your loved one.

Common Options

Not all home services offer the same types of help. For example, a service or aide might offer non-medical help. They might offer help  with daily tasks. Other in-home services involve medical care provided by a licensed health professional. This could include help from a physical therapist or a nurse. Some common types of in-home services are:

• Skilled care. Help from a medical professional with medical needs. Medical needs include wound care, physical therapy, injections, and more. Often, a health care agency can coordinate these skilled care services.
• Personal care services. Help with bathing, using the bathroom, eating, dressing, exercising or other personal care.
• Companion services. Supervision during recreational activities or visiting.
• Homemaker services. Help with housekeeping, shopping or meal preparation.

These are just some of the home health aide options. There are many more which will be provided for you here.

Medicare home health care will cover the costs of a home health aide if your loved one qualifies. It will not pay for twenty-four-hour a day care but it will pay for an aide that is there for a good part of the day. If you qualify, there will be limitations on which aide you can hire, but it can be worth it if you don’t have to pay for it.

Certified Home Health Agencies

Certified home health agencies (CHHAs) can assign health care and support services. They can provide either short term or long term help. Services include physical therapy, speech therapy, social services, and nutrition services. Other services are medical equipment, medical services, home health aide services, and more.

When you use a private hire home health aide, you have some perks. You are in charge of the selection process and making the final decision. You can overlook formal training or certification and instead consider valuable experience. Private caregivers are always an option. Hiring a private caregiver is cheaper than hiring through a home care agency. You are giving caregivers an opportunity to work independently and for better wages. This might be better for your situation.

Licensed Home Care Agency

A licensed home care agency will provide hourly nursing care. They also act as homemaker, housekeeper, personal care attendants and other health and social services. Their services are available to clients who pay privately. Sometimes licensed agencies contract with local social services departments or certified home health agencies. They do so to provide services to persons with Medicaid coverage.

Home Health Aide

A home health aide is someone who will come to the patients home and help care for them with their everyday tasks. The aide will provide the same kind of care that you would if you where home caring for your loved one.

Non-certified Home Care Aide

A non-certified home care aide is just like a regular aide. They can do everything that a certified one can do, but they just didn’t get the certification. Oftentimes the aide can offer their services at a lower price than a certified aide can. This may be a good option for you if you want similar care at a lower price to you.

Personal Care Aide

A personal care aide provides various services to a person who is unable to care for themselves. They will help your loved one with day to day tasks. The aide will not be able to give your loved one medication.

Elder Companions

Elder companions do just what the name says. They provide company for people who live alone. These companions function as an extra set of hands, eyes, and feet to your loved one.

Homemaker Care

Homemaker care take care of your loved one’s home. With regard to in home care for the elderly, help often just means a second hand helping with the daily tasks. Senior homemaking care also helps family members who can’t clean their loved one’s home.

Certified Nursing Assistant

A certified nursing assistant helps patients or clients with healthcare needs. They work under the supervision of a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse. This person is also known as a nursing assistant, a patient care assistant, or a state tested nurse aid. The individual who carries this title needs strong work ethic and ability. Issues of liability and legality prevent them from performing certain procedures. They will give care that has been instructed to them by a nurse.

Licensed Practical Nurses

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are nurses who work with doctors and registered nurses. They are also known as licensed vocational nurses. While a licensed practical nurse does not have the training or credentials need to perform surgery or administer anesthesia, LPNs are important members of any health-care team. Their duties vary and depend on the needs of doctors, registered nurses and patients. A LPN can help in your home with anything a nurse can do. A licensed vocational nurse is the same thing as a licensed practical nurse.

Registered Nurse

A registered nurse is someone who will treat your loved one like they would get treated in a hospital. They can come to the home and help with administering medication and other tasks. They can help around the house. Registered nurses often choose this profession because they don’t want to work in a hospital setting.

Physical/Occupational Therapists

Physical or occupational therapists are usually needed temporary. If an elderly person gets an injury and can’t leave their house, a therapist can come to them. A therapist will not help with things around the house. But, they will go through the exercises that they need to get better and back to normal.

Home Health United Speech Therapists

Home health united speech therapists provide skilled clinical services. This happens through evaluation and treatment of a variety of communication problems. These problems result from stroke, accidents, disease, illness, or developmental delays. They also work to provide strategies to maintain functional communicative competence. Therapists help improve swallowing skills and teach compensatory strategies. This reduces the risk of aspiration pneumonia, and maintain adequate nutrition and hydration. They will come to your home to help in this process and get your loved one healthy again.

Medical Social Workers

Medical social workers play a vital role in the home care team. Once someone goes to home health services, a medical social worker makes an assessment. The assessment determines patient needs. It also identifies any limitations, barriers, or safety issues that might impede recovery. They educate patients and families about community resources and support. They also assist with long range planning. This includes advance care planning and directives, and care opportunities.

These home health care options can be great for you and your loved one. You should find information on each type. This will help you decide which is the best option that will work best with your situation. With so many options, it should not be a problem to find one that will best fulfill the needs of your loved one.