Housing and Health

When the thought crosses your mind that you might need help, or maybe mom or dad needs help, its time to begin finding help. It's a strong indicator by the very fact that you are reading this article. That it is time to begin gathering information about care givers. Use our experience to your advantage and begin the process today. This articles goal is to provide the reader with a basic outline to assist them in finding the right care giver to maintain happiness and well-being in our Elder and Seniors homes.

There are lots of agencies and programs out there, but no matter your particular situation, finding a care giver will take time. More time than you think. So, as they say, an ounce of prevention is equal to a pound of cure!! The time you spend now, when the situation is stable will be worth its weight in gold, when the need becomes great. You will be prepared. Lets Get Started!

Now that you have decided that you will need to hire a caregiver, there are several things you need to do.

A) Read our Defining Care Giver Provider Services. Click to link to the article.

B) After reading the list of services. Make your own list of the services that you will need immediately, and possibly in the future. Consider a timeline of six months to a year in the future.

There are many tasks to activities of daily living. Take a deep breath and look around your home, or your parents home. What tasks haven't been done in days, then weeks and months? What tasks are they unable to do for themselves? Which tasks take great effort? And what things need to be reminded? A thorough plan for maintaining life at home is critical to a great quality of life.

1. Agencies that are bonded or insured, and sometimes licensed. Keep in mind there is no law in California licensing in home care workers.

2. If your income qualifies there is the In Home Support Service workers program. A state social worker will verify your need, budget the hours that will be reimbursed, and give you a list of potential caregivers. However, just like finding a private worker. You must find them, interview them, and the IHSS agency will pay them.

3.Then there is the privately hired caregiver. Can be found through a variety of means: recommendation from friends, associates, the want adds such as newspapers, right here at www.Housingandhealthcare.com, Craigslist.org., through Church, etc. The ways are nearly endless.

Regardless of how you will find a care giver, you will need to have or develop several skills:

If this feels like it is to much, consider a referral agency. They will complete an assessment, and give you several references, some can even do the hiring for you. Referral agencies services can be free, or charge a small fee. We have some listed in our resource section.

1. Plan to, and call at least three agencies. Preferably five. Get a feeling for them; rank them 1-5, as far as, your personal preference. Now, select the top three, and request a bid. Instruct them with all of the services you will require, and the hours you will need. Though it seems time consuming. Clients going through several agencies is more common than not.

2. If you wish to hire someone privately, due to either a friend or family member knows of someone, or of budget constraints, or both thatÕs fine. You will still need to talk to at least five people, preferably ten. The turnover rate is quite high. It is variable, but someone who at first appears reliable, may actually not be. Things such as illness, family dynamics, and a host of other complications effect everyone, even care givers. So be prepared. Get in touch with many, have several as back-ups, or even develop the ability to rotate several care givers over a period of time. Too many is better than not enough.

3. If you are hiring someone privately, through IHSS or on your own, we cannot recommend highly enough, or stress to you more.

You will need to look into the state process for hiring a worker and your liability.
Once you have settled on several people to assist, we recommend using a temporary employment agency to do the hiring. The temporary employment agency can take care of background checks, workers compensation, and state legalities required with hiring.

I do not want to scare you, but there have been cases in which families suffered great legal problems, because what seemed like a great friend and caregiver claimed workers compensation or unemployment when they were either hurt or were no longer needed. The legal ramifications can be very serious.

Overwhelmed!! REMEMBER THIS IS A PROCESS. And as cliche as it sounds, all of the time and energy spent now, will bear fruit in the future. That is why we want you to start before the situation is dire and you are emotional and physically overwhelmed.

Whether you decided to hire an agency to provide you with the care giving services you need, or found someone to hire privately. It is important to remember.

A) Conduct an interview with the new agency caregiver, after they have arrived. Find out there life situations, their history. You need to know who is coming into your home. *When hiring someone privately, you will have done this already. Be thorough. Seek info on interviewing. Please.

B) State your expectations. You must set your policy and procedure for working as your caregiver. Do no t expect that because they are a care giver they know what YOU want. You should at this time give them an outline of the tasks that you need done, while they are in your home. This step is crucial, and it applies to anyone that comes into assist you, whether with an agency or not.

C) Address punctuality. Define the time lines you will need and if it is important, stress the promptness of their arriving on time. Punctuality can be a problem.

Your experience with a hired caregiver will hinge on your ability to communicate directly and clearly your expectations. Some will have been told what they are to do by their agencies, but it is better to hear it from you!

Now, that the caregiver has begun to come to your home. It is not time to rest. Most patients experience a turnover of at least three, and up to as many as nine or ten different caregivers, before the right combination is found to meet your needs.

What does this mean? Continue to request bids, or interview. Your caregiver will need time off, and go on vacations. So, Be prepared!!

Most agencies try to find permanent placement for you. But it is very hard to meet. This means that after the first one leaves, they may not be the care giver that returns. It depends on the agencies internal schedule and your needs. Sometimes the care giver wishes to work more or less than you require. So, there is a rotation that does not fit exactly with your schedule, thus changing care givers. Give it sometime, if you really like the agency personnel, then you may find a combination that fits.

Do not hesitate to give feedback to the agency, but more importantly, in a gracious and calm demeanor, tell your caregiver what you like, and what things you would like to see them do better. Remember, it is all about your ability to communicate.

Finally, good luck! Here at www.Housingandhealthcare.com we understand the stresses and strains you are going through. We hope this has been informative. A word of advice; when looking for a care giver, do not take short cuts. Happiness and well-being takes cultivation, and all of the parts to the process will be necessary. Understanding that, there is lots of hope and joy out there. Many, many people have had great successes, and you can too. By following their experience.

Understanding our InHomecare Listings> Defining Care Giver Provider Services:

Care Giver Providers: Lists of Agencies, and or individuals that provide assistance to another to those who need help with daily activities. Each agency, and person provides a set of tasks that they can assist with. Usually contracted for an amount of time; 2hours to 24 hours, 1 to 7 days a week.

See Defining Care Give Provider Services below.

Note: If you are considering hiring someone privately, through IHSS or on your own, we cannot recommend or stress highly enough!

Due your due diligence!

A. Request a background check. Call your local sheriff’s office for info.

B. CPR is a near must.

C. Ask for recent immunizations.

D. A CNA license or training would be ideal.

You will need to look into the state process for hiring a worker and your liability. Once you have settled on several people to assist, we recommend using a temporary employment agency to do the hiring. The temporary employment
agency can take care of background checks, workers compensation, and state legalities required with hiring.

Household Help: A list of companies or individuals that provide household cleaning, laundry, and/or errand services.

Medical Equipment: A listing of durable medical equipment providers. Your local or national providers offer many in home assistance devices. From wheelchairs, hospital beds, shower benches, reach assistance devices, to bandages, bedding supplies, to lift chairs. If you have a problem, ask.! New items are introduced almost daily!

Also: Find providers of Hearing Solutions and other important medical devices!

Personal Care: Professionals, and individuals that come into the home to provide services. Services may include; Hairstyling, haircutting, massage, personal trainers.

Medical Services: A listing of local medical services and special services that come to your home. Believe it or not!, but some Doctors make house calls. We hope to find them and list them here. Along with physicians you will find: Nurses, Dental professionals, Physical and Speech therapist.

Note: These services may go beyond your insurance coverage, or do not accept insurance. However, in this day and age your best investment is still your health! Have the confidence that your doin! g as wel l as you can. Hire the best! Find out when new Medical services are listed! (Link to newsletter)

Defining Care Giver Provider Services:

Caregivers are there to help people who need assistance with activities of daily living. Here are some helpful definitions of those terms.

Activities of Daily Living, or ADLs; encompasses tasks associated with daily life.

Personal Care: Assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, hygiene, and toileting assistance.

Meal preparation and assistance with eating: Assistance with preparing meals for specific dietary needs. Offering snacks and beverages. Assist with meal planning and grocery list development.

Medication reminders or supervision: Can remind and assist clients with medications they would normally take themselves.

Assistance with mobility: Includes assistance with bed mobility, transferring from one surface to another, and assistance with walking with or without a device.

Companionship and Socialization: Assisting with maintaining normal routines, read aloud newspapers, magazines, mail and emails. Activities such as scrap booking, baking, etc. Will be individual to the client.

Supervision: Provide sensitive reminders for safe movement and walking.

Extra services can include:

Transportation assist: Assistance with appointments and outings.

Small errands: Able to go out and shop for basic home necessities.

Assisting with home exercise: per Home Care practitioner or patient request.

Light Housekeeping and assistance with chores: Dish washing, cleaning up and straightening the kitchen and bathroom. Sometimes will do dusting, sweeping and vacuuming. Can include washing and ironing clients clothing Garbage removal. Tasks will be specific to agencies, or individual’s skill set.

Adult Day Care: Provides a safe environment for socialization, supervision, exercise, and meals during the day. Each provider has their specific hours, and services provided.

24-hour care/ or Live-In: When a person requires constant supervision and assistance, a 24 hr. caregiver is needed. Special arrangements must be met, such as, providing a place to sleep, meals, and other. Individuals and Agency specific requirements may apply.

These situations can be complicated, usually requiring the rotation of 3-6 caregivers. Can be very stressful, and take time to find the right combination of caregivers.

Respite Care: When caregivers, family members, and loved ones become overwhelmed. It results in a home environment full of tension and drastic swings in emotions. When we are emotional we cannot make intelligent decisions. These situations require a respite. Respite simply means that the primary caregiver is relieved of their responsibilities for a period of time to allow them to recuperate, de-stress, relieve guilt, and have outside interests. Respite can be for several hours, a day or a weekend, usually no longer than a week. Respite is highly effective, and can make what seems like a disastrous situation, pleasant and calm. Rather than conserve and wait for a long respite break. It has been demonstrated that regular breaks, several hours, to a full day. Maintain the peace and serenity.

Sleep-Over: When a person requires nighttime supervision. Typically a 10-12-hour shift. Important to note that nighttime is the most dangerous time for our Elders and Seniors. May require special arrangements for care giver.

Memory/Dementia Care: Specific designation that the agency, and or individual has specific training, and or experience with persons suffering from memory loss, dementia, or Alzheimer’s.