Choosing a home care agency

Thanksgiving has come and gone. While it was great to see everyone, for some adult children visiting senior parents, it was also suddenly apparent that Mom or Dad needed home help. While this has historically been provided by family living nearby, now with the majority of adult children working fulltime, many with children at home to care for, too, and with twenty percent living more than two hours’ drive away, this is not always possible.

First, it’s important to understand that care can be broken up into two basic categories: skilled care, which is provided by a health care professional, like a nurse, physical or occupational therapist; and personal care, which includes help with bathing, errands, cooking, grooming and many other tasks. Personal care is provided by home health aides, many who are certified nursing assistants.

Skilled care is often prescribed by a physician, typically after an injury or surgery, and is often paid for by Medicare; whereas, personal care is primarily paid for privately.

5) How do they maintain quality over time?

“We have a monthly check-in call with both our clients and our caregivers,” said Hill. “We ask our clients if they are satisfied with their care and if not, how we can improve it. We also ask caregivers about their satisfaction. I think this is one of the reasons we have been able to maintain a high employee retention rate. We also ask our caregivers if their client’s care needs have changed and whether they recommend any changes to the care plan.”

Hill said another typical concern is how much is it going to cost? “Something that our team works consistently on,” Hill conveyed by phone, “is that we have a lot of experience finding viable resources to assist with the costs. We look to community block grants, long-term care policies, Medicaid, county in-home aide programs, Veteran benefits and vouchers for respite care. Even if the wait lists are long for some of these programs,” said Hill, “we get their name on the lists as quickly as possible.”

Cost for home care varies across the state and according to a number of factors. In the more rural counties, where Action Health Staffing and Home Care works, the hourly rate ranges from $16–19/hour. In Wake county, the cost for personal care ranges from $20–24/hour. The cost can be less when working with an individual versus an agency. However, what you get with an agency is more accountability, training, peace of mind and backup, should an aide call in sick.

“I consider myself to be very blessed,” Hill said. “I have a wonderful, outstanding team that has been with me for years and years. They truly love what they do—and that’s what you need, especially in this business.”