Selecting the Right Home Health Agency

Are you part of the "sandwich generation"? You are if you are responsible not only for caring for your own young children, but also caring for your parents. As the population of our nation ages, many people are finding themselves in exactly this predicament. They are quite literally "sandwiched" between generations with responsibilities on both sides. Those are in this "sandwich" will very likely be making some major health care choices for their parents more quickly than they may have anticipated.

If you're in this potentially tense and uncomfortable spot, first, you'll want to be certain to consider a qualified home health agency for your loved one rather than a nursing home or care center. It's well known that, with regular professional care, patients will typically do better in their own homes whenever it's possible to treat them in that environment.

Services offered by home health agencies can vary. Some offer a broad range of services from basic assistance with routine tasks such as bathing, cooking or simple housework, to round the clock continuous nursing care or hospice services. It is important to consider what future needs might arise and select a home health agency that will be able to meet those needs.

This is an important consideration as your loved one advances in years and becomes less able to cope with normal daily activities. It is comforting to know that the home health agency you have selected can continue to provide care and your family member won't have the added stress of moving or becoming accustomed to new care givers.

Among the nation's leading home health agencies, Family Home Care & Hospice (FHC), located in Spokane, WA is the kind of organization committed to providing a range of services which allows them to continue to serve a patient even when the needs increase.

"We have specifically planned our service offerings so that we can continue to serve patients in their homes for as long as medically practical," explained Michael Nowling, President of FHC. "All our experience points to better outcomes for both the patient and the family if they can be effectively cared for within their own homes."

Indeed, FHC has been recognized by Medicare as among the top 1 percent of home health agencies in Washington State and among the top 3 percent of home health agencies in the nation. This recognition is based on extensive monitoring of patient outcomes and lends credibility to their stated goal of keeping patients in their own homes as long as possible. Medicare maintains a database of information about home health agencies and their patient outcomes. It's a good idea to visit their website and look at the data when considering a home health agency. You can log on at http://www.medicare.gov/HHCompare/home.asp.

Most patients will do very nicely utilizing the standard list of services offered by a qualified home health agency, but sometimes specialized services may be required. It is a good idea when evaluating your home health agency selection, to ask what specialized services are available. The chances of your loved one needing these services may be small, but if such a need ever arises you'll find comfort in knowing that your chosen agency can deliver those services. Specialized treatments or services may include primary care medical services, enteral therapy or wound care specialists.

One of the challenges in running a successful home health agency is finding and keeping qualified staff. It is in the best interest of your loved one to make certain that the home health agency you select has both an exhaustive background checking protocol and a continuing training program in place.

"It's tough to get a job at FHC," noted Nowling, "but we're not sorry about that. In fact, that's the way it should be. We've built a great organization as a direct result of our strict qualifications and hiring protocols. We have a staff of professionals who hold themselves to the highest standards of practice and patient care and we support them in that effort. They work hard. They love their patients and it shows. They tend to stay at FHC much longer than is the average for home health agencies. This translates into better outcomes for patients and is a large part of the reason we've been so highly ranked by Medicare."

Just as important as a home health agency's ability to find and maintain a qualified staff is their commitment to keeping that staff trained and educated in the state of the art techniques and therapies. Ask about their training and continuing education programs.

"There is so much specialized and highly technical medical equipment which can now be used in a home environment," continued Nowling. "We think it's an important priority of a good home heath agency to make sure that our professional staff are always up to date with the latest advances in care."

No home health decision process would be complete without considering insurance coverage. Medicaid and Medicare are accepted by most home health agencies as is private insurance including long term care. This is a high priority question and should be addressed early on in your search. Insurance coverages will vary not only with home health agencies but with insurance companies. Trying to interpret the legal documents associated with your policy may not be as fruitful for you as a simple call to a customer service representative at your insurance company.

Just in case you haven't been making notes, here's a checklist:

Find a qualified home health agency or two for your list

Find out what is on their list of standard services

Ask what specialized services are available

Check out your selections by visiting: http://www.medicare.gov/HHCompare/home.asp

Ask about their hiring and screening policies

Evaluate their commitment to continuing training and education of their staff

Find out what insurance coverages are applicable

Making critical decisions about health care is part of your role in the "sandwich generation". Make certain you do your best to consider all the available options, including putting qualified home health agencies on your evaluation list. Your family member will be glad you did--and so will you.

Article Source: http://www.articlegoldmine.com

Serving the Inland Northwest for more than 4 decades, Family Home Care & Hospice is synonymous with Spokane home care. FHC's record of positive outcomes gained recognition by Medicare as being among the top 1 percent of agencies in Washington State.

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