Articles » Home Care
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Being Responsible For Parents' Home Care Fees
I’ll never forget the day my mom told me that she thought the government was going to pay for her medical needs when she got old and that now she can barely afford to go to the doctor. As a case manager at a big city hospital I see many patients come through every day with the same expectations and problems as my mother. The reality is the government had no idea you were going to live so long when they started Medicare and they have no way to provide you with the home care you need.
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There are several types of home care that are available. They range from licensed nurses and therapists for medical needs (physical therapy, blood tests, wound care) to certified aides or family members for personal needs (eating, bathing, grooming). Unfortunately, what you get often depends on things such as your insurance, your financial status, and what your medical needs are.
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How Do I Know How Many Hours I need A Caregiver Each Day?
This can be a tough question to answer if you don’t have any experience in health care or convalescent care. Caregivers come with a variety of abilities and can perform many different tasks. So, the first thing you need to ask yourself is what you need the caregiver to do.
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Home Care versus A Nursing Facility
First you should understand what these are and what the benefits and drawbacks are, then make your decision. You should also be aware of what your insurance is and what is will or will not cover. Long-term home care is a specific additional coverage and is not included in most medical insurance policies nor is it covered by Medicare. You can purchase long-term care insurance through most medical insurance companies.
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Home Health Care versus Home Care
Home Health Care agencies provide licensed nurses for medical needs such as wound care or intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy. They also provide licensed therapists for needs such as physical therapy or speech/swallow therapy. They may also provide a certified aide to help train the family how to care for a bed-bound patient by teaching them how to turn the patient to prevent bedsores, how to empty a catheter or how to give them a bath.
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Choosing Between Home Care And Convalescent Care After A Hospitalization
Ok, so Mom broke her hip and had to go to the hospital for surgery. Two days after surgery the doctor tells you that she will be ready to leave the hospital soon and someone will come to help you decide where she will go when she leaves. Wow, you weren’t prepared for this. Mom’s not even able to walk further than the bathroom. Dad is 70 years old and can help at home but he can’t do it all. You work, your siblings all work and besides that you don’t know how take care of her.
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Home Care For The Elderly At Home
With all the wonderful advances made in medicine over the last 50 years people are living longer. Only 50 to 60 years ago our life expectancy was only 65 -70 years, now it is expected that many of us will live well into our 80’s and 90’s. Unfortunately this is causing more and more people to become part of what is known as the sandwich generation. These are people who are still raising children at home or trying to put them through college, and are suddenly faced with the prospect of providing care for their elderly parents as well.
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Finding a good home caregiver is not an easy job. There are several types of home caregivers to choose from and first you need to determine what is best for you. This depends on what you need them for. Is the person who needs the care able to perform daily tasks on their own? Are they able to feed themselves if someone makes them food, or do they need to be fed? Are they fully alert and able to help themselves at all? Can they be left alone at all – do they have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease? Do they have any medical needs such as an indwelling catheter or feeding tube?
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Will you ever get a vacation from your care-giving? As a nurse case manager at an acute care hospital I often see what I call the caregiver burnout admission. This patient is admitted for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is nothing serious but other times there are major medical problems because the caregiver just wasn’t doing their job. I don’t want to blame the caregivers here, especially family members who are not trained and are not getting paid for the work they do.
