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Memorial
Home Care
Frequently
Asked Questions About Home Health Care
Q.
What is home care?
A.
It is a wide range of health and social services that can be delivered
at home to recovering, disabled, or chronically ill persons in need
of medical, nursing, social, or therapeutic treatment and/or assistance
with the essential activities of daily living. It can be for
anyone -- individuals and families of all ages.
Q.
Who can benefit from home care services?
A.
People who...
- Can be discharged
from a hospital or a nursing home facility but need additional
care at home.
- Require short-term
assistance at home because of outpatient surgery or maternity-related
incapacity.
- Need additional
assistance to live independently due to illness, disability, or
aging.
- Have conditions
such as congestive heart disease, diabetes, and muscular, nervous,
or respiratory disorders.
- Are terminally
ill and want to spend their remaining time in dignity and the
comfort of home.
Q.
Why should I use home care?
A.
Home care...
- Is less expensive
than other forms of care.
- Improves quality
of life.
- Is both effective
and efficient.
- Reduces stress.
- Offers personalized
care.
- Is safe.
- Promotes healing.
- Prevents or postpones
institutionalization.
- Keeps the elderly
independent.
- Keeps families
together.
Q.
What age groups are appropriate for home care?
A.
Any age group. For example...
- Chronically ill
infants and children can benefit from sophisticated medical treatment
in their loving and secure environments.
- Younger adults
who are disabled or recuperating from acute illness are choosing
home care, whenever possible.
- Older people
who are electing to live independent lives outside of an institution
are taking advantage of home care services as their physical capabilities
diminish.
- A person of any
age who prefers to stay home but needs ongoing care that cannot
easily or effectively be provided by family and friends.
Q.
Who pays for home care services?
A.
- Home care can
be paid for directly by the patient and his or her family members
or through a variety of private and public sources.
- Private sources
or insurance programs whose benefits vary from plan to plan.
- Public source
third-party payors may include Medicare, Medicaid, the Older American
Act, and Social Services Block Grant programs.
- Memorial Home
Care will give you information on your coverage and the extent
of your own financial responsibility. We will do our best
to make sure that paying for your care is as worry-free as possible.
Q.
How does one select the right home care agency?
A.
Look for an agency that...
- Has served the
community for many years.
- Is Medicare and
Medicaid certified.
- Is state licensed.
- Has met national
industry standards and is accredited by organizations such as
the Joint Commision on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
(JCAHO).
- Provides a "Patient's
Bill of Rights," an annual report, and literature explaining
services, fees, eligibility requirements, etc.
- Documents a patient's
course of treatment.
- Assigns supervisors
to oversee the quality of care patients are receiving in the home.
- Provides service
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Ensures patient
confidentiality.
Q.
What services does Memorial Home Care offer?
A.
Skilled nursing visits; home health aides and homemakers; physical,
occupational, and speech therapies; around-the-clock home care;
home IV therapies; medical equipment and supplies; plus a retail
pharmacy.
Q.
What does Memorial Home Care offer that most home care agencies
do not?
A.
Complete services -- with one phone call.
- Nursing Visits
- Staffing Services
- Home IV
- Medical Equipment
and Supplies
- Family Pharmacy
Many
patients require more than one of these services. Other agencies
may offer only a couple of patient needs, forcing that patient or
family to contact several agencies. With Memorial Home Care,
all of the basic services above are available with one phone call
to (574) 273-CARE.
JCAHO
Accredited
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