Not All Home Care Agencies Are Created Equal
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW TO FIND THE BEST HOME CARE AGENCY TO FIT YOUR NEEDS…
As you begin to explore home care options, it’s important to realize that not all home care agencies are created equal. There are certainly commonalities among home care providers:
State licensure
Bonded and insured
Staffing and administrative support, etc.
As well as the types of care provided:
Companionship
Safety
Personal care
Meal prep
Fall prevention
Light housekeeping, etc…
And even in the skill sets of those delivering direct support:
CNAs
Nursing background
5-15 years of experience providing professional care
The above are typical of most home care providers.
What separates the best home care providers from the rest?
Home Care: Layers of Support
You might realize that the needs of your loved one might go beyond companionship, meal prep and light housekeeping. If you look more closely while searching home care agencies, you will see that there are some that provide more significant layers of support.
The key questions to ask are, do these home care agencies provide:
Nurse Supervision?
Client Specific Training?
Clinical Care Management?
Multiple Supervisors for Each Client?
Full-Time Care Professionals?
Let’s take a look at each of these types of support and define the roles played within each to see why they are so vital.
Nurse Supervisor’s Role
Some home care agencies carry additional home nursing licensure and have Registered Nurses on staff. These Nurse Supervisors serve multiple functions within the home care company. These functions include…
Providing Clinical Assessment
By visiting with you where you live, the Nurse Supervisor consults with you and whomever you care to have present to gather important information to help them identify the needs you present and design a care support plan to accomplish the goals you agree upon.
Selecting the Appropriate Care Professional
(Specific for your family’s needs)
A very important part of designing a support plan with you is selecting the right Care Professional(s) who will be providing direct care to you in your home. By working in concert with the human resource team your specific needs are matched with the Care Professional who has the appropriate training and background to support you and your specific condition.
Providing Additional Training to Care Professional Staff
The Nurse Supervisor also provides condition specific training to each Care Professional. These trainings involve enhancing the Care Professionals understanding of various conditions; whether it be Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Stroke Recovery, Frontotemporal Dementia or any other Dementia.
Curriculum Development
The Nurse Supervisor also attends ongoing trainings to create new training curricula as well update existing training programs.
Ongoing Oversight
Perhaps the most important role of Nurse Supervision is to provide ongoing oversight of the Care Professional and the service they are providing in the home. This is done as often as is needed depending on the level of care being provided.
Client Specific Training
Based on the information gathered at your initial consultation, your Nurse Supervisor will understand you and your needs and where support is most needed.
The conditions you are experiencing are unique and it is vitally important that the Care Professional working with you has a clear understanding not only of your condition but how to address each symptom that is impacting your life.
Clinical Care Management
For some, managing the many appointments and understanding the recommendations made by a physician can be quite overwhelming. Clinical Care Management is provided to remove the burden of managing the many moving pieces involved in your care and helps you fully understand your doctor’s thoughts.
Attend Physician Appointments
Your Clinical Care Manager can attend appointments with you to summarize and clarify your physician’s directions, incorporate your physician’s treatments into your personalized care plan and provide important clinical feedback to your doctor.
Interdisciplinary Communication
The Clinical Care Manager can coordinate with any other clinicians involved in your care. This may involve your Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Neurologists, PCP, Cardiologist or any other clinician supporting you.
Patient Advocacy
It’s your clinical Care Manager’s responsibility to help you navigate confusing treatments that are recommended and can advise you on the risks and advocate for you from a clinical perspective.
Medication Management
If needed, your Clinical Care Manger can keep your medications sorted properly, delivered on time and refilled when needed. Learn more about how Broad Street assists with medication management here.
Emergency Support
Your Clinical Care Manager is available for you and able to provide help and guidance if an emergency arises. Your Care Manager will be there to make certain you are taken care of and effectively communicate your wishes.
Learn more about Broad Street’s services here.
Click the following link to learn more about how Broad Street delivers clinical care management and patient advocacy.
Multiple Supervisors for Each Client
Having a team of supervisors enhances the quality of the support provided. When clinicians can consult and confer with each other, your safety is enhanced and the care being delivered is strengthened.
Depending on your condition, this team may consist of 2 Registered Nurses and in some cases, a Physical Therapist and a Registered Nurse will work together to oversee your care.
Full-Time Care Professionals
Care Professionals are human too and strive to secure a full-time work. Having a full-time position builds stability and consistency in the delivery of care. The effectiveness of care being provided is dependent on this level of consistency. And the high degree of personalized treatment is enhanced when the Care Professional has this greater depth of knowledge related to you and your specific needs. This depth of involvement increases the effectiveness of the training your Care Professional has received.
Benefits of a Home Care Agency with a Clinical Team
It’s pretty clear that there are many options when you are looking for Home Care support for yourself or a loved one. If the need is there, having a Home Care Agency with a clinical team addressing your specific needs assures that you are well taken care of.
Broad Street Home Care proudly delivers on all of the services listed above. Our unique approach builds a network of support around you.
The supervision, trainings, care management and highly personalized care are all layers of support that can truly have a positive impact on your well being. And the peace of mind knowing that there is a team of professionals behind you and your loved ones is invaluable.
Broad Street Can Help
For more information, contact Broad Street Home Care.