Is In-Home Health Care Right For Me?
If you have an elderly loved one whose medical condition needs greater attention than you can provide, in-home health care might be an option.
With research bolstering the idea that in-home health care often provides the best option for patient’s mental and physical health, this has become a more popular alternative in recent years.
Video: Home Health Care to Hire More Professional Care Givers
According to the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of personal and home-care aides work with elderly, physically disabled, or mentally disabled clients whose family or friends cannot provide extensive personal or home care. They also provide housekeeping and personal care services, meal planning, and instruction or psychological support to their clients.
If your elderly loved one would benefit from staying in his or her home but needs professional medical attention on a regular basis, in-home health care might be the right choice for you.
What Are The Costs?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information offers extensive information on the cost of in-home health care. The Department warns that in-home health care can be an expensive endeavor – even for someone with a modest need for personal-care assistance three times a week at home, those services would cost about $18,000 annually based on average 2008 costs. In 2008, home health aides made $29 an hour.
Costs vary depending on a few factors:
- Type and amount of care needed
- Provider used
- Where you live
If you need home-health and home-care services in the evening, during the weekend, or on holidays, you will likely pay more. Services are provided in two-to-four-hour increments known as visits. When researching your options, make sure you understand all costs and fees before making a commitment.
You also must decide how to pay for services before you hire an aide. Medicare coverage will not pay for the majority of long-term care services necessary, and though some may qualify for Medicaid, most people will not. Though other federal public programs such as the Older Americans Act offer assistance, that money goes to those who are most in need both health wise and financially. That means it’s likely you’ll be paying for the majority of long-term care needs out of pocket.
Video: Home Health Aides Job Description
Selecting the Right Provider
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that home health aides are generally not required to have a high-school diploma. However, education varies amongst aides, as many training programs exist including; nursing and psychiatric-aide training in high schools, vocational centers, some community colleges, and nursing-care facilities. Though home health aides are not required to be licensed, they are trained by licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, or experienced aides.
Medicare offers a site where you can compare home-health agencies based on your search criteria. Here is a partial list of agencies named in the top 25 percent of U.S. home-health care organizations, as ranked by the HomeCare Elite survey of 2007:
- Advanced Home Care, High Point, N.C.
- Advanced Home Health Care LTD, Burlington, IA
- Amicable Homecare Inc., Cerritos, CA
- Cabell Huntington Hospital Home Health, Huntington, WV
- Comprehensive Home Care of Broward, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Genesis VNA and Hospice, Bettendorf, IA
- Guardian Home Care of Nashville LLC, Franklin, TN
- Marion County Home Care Services, Marion, KS
- Premier Home Health Inc., Thayne, WY
- Sierra Home Healthcare Services Inc., Los Angeles, CA