Caring For Elderly Parents

By Author: Harley Blender
Total Articles: 1
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There may come a time when you need help taking care of your parents. Depending on your needs, it's important to consider several things before choosing a specific home health care agency.

What kind of services do you need, and how often do you need them? In most cases, home health care involves two different types of services: skilled care, involving supervision by a nurse or therapist; or custodial care provided by aides certified to provide services such as bathing or dressing. Costs of home health aides range between $7-$25 an hour; while nurses and therapy care may cost between $20-$90 per hour. Sometimes, Medicare will cover some cost of aides and therapy, but generally not for nurses. For any care to be covered by Medicare, the agency must be certified.



Some common questions to ask:

* What services does the agency provide, and what kind of staff do they have?

* Is the agency Medicare certified, and does it accept Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement?

* What's the basic cost for services? Are only certain hours per week ...
... allowed? Can you customize services?



* How does the agency determine the needs of my parent? Will there be evaluation by a staff nurse or doctor?

* How is home health care coordinated? Will I have any input? What if I am unhappy with services provided?

Home Health agencies should be certified by Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and various agencies such as the National League for Nursing, and so forth. Customers should feel free to question staff sent to take care of a parent. For example, ask the individual what types of qualifications they have, their experience working with the elderly, and familiarity with aspects of your parents care. Be specific regarding the chores and services the staff is supposed to perform.

When considering any type of home health care, make sure you're dealing with a reputable agency with certified staff. Don't hesitate to engage in background checks of the agency. Your peace of mind and your parents' health may very well depend on your determination to get all satisfactory answers.

Evonne Collier founded www.boomers-with-elderly-parents.com to help children with aging parents organize thoughts on current issues and decisions on care of aging parents in the future. Topics include; elderly parents, medicaid, fall prevention, in home care, senior activities, communication with the medicare, basics on finding suitable housing and questions to ask before deciding on in home care.