Home Health Care Vs Facility Placement - Options in Elder Care

It always makes me sad to hear the families of an elder say "Mom made me promise to never put her in a nursing home". That is simply a promise that most families today cannot keep. If a caring son or daughter finds that they have to break that promise, they may feel guilty for the rest of their lives. Mom probably asked for that promise because the nursing homes she remembers were dark, institutional places which would be considered substandard in America today. Today's family structure and the financial challenges of elder care, make facility living a very common choice. When an elder shows signs of not being able to perform the basic activities of daily living, families or concerned professionals must step in. It is actually against most state laws for a professional to be aware of an elder in trouble without taking some reasonable action to secure their safety. There are many indicators that an elder is no longer safe at home alone. The basic litmus test is to ask yourself is: "Could this person save him or herself if their home were on fire? Would they be able to call 911 and communicate their exact location? If left alone for any period of time are they at risk for physical abuse or financial exploitation? Do they have the skills and resources to meet their daily hygiene and nutritional needs? The answer is "NO" for many American elders who live home alone.

Independence vs. Isolation

Many of my elderly clients who were trying so hard to maintain their independence by living alone at home actually maintained nothing more than an isolated existence punctuated by the occasionally call or visit from friends and family. This type of isolation was also coupled with medication errors or abuse, self neglect and unsanitary housekeeping. A person living in this situation will often "bloom like a flower" in the right retirement facility environment. It is amazing what three hot meals a days, social interaction, clean sheets and regular administration of medications can do for a person's mind, body and spirit. A person who lives alone is more likely to fall and lay alone on the floor for days without being found. A person, who lives alone may make poor choices such as keeping, (or worse,) spoiled food in the refrigerator. If a person lives alone, there are many signs of illness that no one will notice during sporadic short visits. Medical appointments may be missed and prescriptions left unfilled. Many people feel that they are honoring their aging loved one by letting them live alone, even though all the tell tale signs of self neglect are apparent. There is no honor or dignity in being found on the floor after one has laid in their own excrement for three days. Unfortunately, many families will wait for this type of incident before insisting on either home health care or facility placement. If an elder is physically or verbally abusive to family and care givers, they are much more likely to be left alone to make their own decisions, regardless of how dysfunctional their situation may be. Elders with difficult personalities are many times more likely to be abused by caregivers. They need more supervision, not less.

American Family Dynamics and the Pressures of Today's World

Types of Home Health Care

Providing home health care for your aging parents is something that you ought to consider especially if you are too far from them. This way you can be sure that your needs will be well taken care of and that there would be someone to look after their health.

There are different sources of home health care which you can avail. There are agencies where you can get your home health care professional. In here, you can be certain that certified professionals would be presented to you. They are often governed by federal requirements before they can practice their profession. However, care may be limited because specialists are assigned.

Another way to get it is through care aide agencies. However, these people are mostly chore workers who can be hired to provide some basic assistance to your elders. They can be around to help provide for basic necessities such as healthy meals, bathing and dressing up your elders, even making sure that housekeeping work is attended to inside their home.

Hospices are also an available choice, though they mostly attend to patients and their respective family. They are mostly made up of volunteer workers who are specialized in particular fields such as psychological, social, and medical to name a few. The services of hospices are geared towards making sure that patients already prescribed as terminally ill will still be given the best comfort possible.

Speaking of patients, if your elders require care in terms of facilitating their medicinal needs, you can turn to pharmaceutical therapy companies for help. These businesses specialize on drug delivery as well as the necessary equipment to help patients obtain their nutritional and intravenous therapies. They will assign specific pharmacists to assist your elders.

What Should A Home Health Care Agency Do To Serve Your Needs?

Probably it is time to seek the assistance of a home health care agency if your beloved needs either medical or non medical help. Whilst you've got intentions for being the sole care provider for your loved one, this may turn out to be very hard, on the other hand, the final option is putting them in a home. Know that you are not alone with regards to this problem so you do have alternatives for your beloved, with one of them being help with a home health care agency.

A home health care agency gives numerous beneficial services to you and your family member. As you'll be able to regain things such as time for yourself as well as freedom, your beloved is going to be properly cared for so you don't need to worry. You'll have these facilities brought to you rather than having to bring your beloved from one appointment to another. If you are not sure if a home health care agency will be able to assist you as well as your loved one, here's a perception of the services many agencies offer.

Home Health Kits Gain Popularity

Over the past few decades, the cost of health care has been going up drastically. The costs have directly affected millions of Americans, with money coming out of their monthly bottom line savings. For less fortunate Americans, the cost was too high to absorb resulting in the lack of or absence of health insurance. When millions of Americans either lack or do not have health insurance, it is not only an effect on them directly but on the country indirectly also. The United States does not turn people away who are in need of health care during an emergency. In some incidents, the hospital or care center may absorb the costs, if not them then Medicare or Medicaid might have to step in. In either case, someone does absorb those costs, which eventually are passed down the chain to you the tax payer. For this reason, the United States has but a bigger emphasis on health care in the country. Obama Care was one big example of the push forward. In addition to this, health care providers and doctors are pushing force more preventive care measures.

Preventive health care measures focus more on the idea that monitoring one's health on a regular basis will avoid surprises at a later time and point. For this reason, millions of Americans now have home health kits. These kits range in size and equipment, but some of the staples are: blood pressure monitors, thermometers, pulse oximeters, and glucose monitors. A home health kit differs from a first aid kit greatly, because it focuses on monitoring more than aid. A blood pressure monitor and pulse oximeter are the more popular devices in the kit, because cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses are almost at pandemic levels in this county.

Alternative Financing Options - Home Health Care Factoring

Specifically, Credit Unions, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Micro Lenders and Accounts Receivable Factoring Firms all said YES to the majority of their small business financing applications while most larger banks repeatedly said NO.

Although a home healthcare agency owner could be approved for financing by any of the alternative lenders listed above, the best alternative financing option for them is to work with a home healthcare factor, and here's why:

1. Home Health Care Factoring Creates Positive Cash Flow

Home Health Care Insurance

There are various insurance policies that help pay for or totally cover the costs of home health care. Consumers are reminded to be very cautious when shopping, comparing and buying home health care insurance policies because coverage is often limited. Considering the limitations and loopholes that home health care insurance has, they may be more expensive than other insurance policies. Home health care may only be accounted for by comprehensive insurance policies with pay benefits for nursing homes, assisted living communities, and adult day care.

Types of Home Health Care Insurance