The nursing home is super close to my folks house and we family members are going often during the day to hang out with Dad and to check on how he is being cared for. They seem to be feeding him well and bathing him/changing him and moving him occasionally to a wheel chair to not lose more muscle tone than he otherwise is. If he gets home, we are discussing the options of care and trying to figure where to set up his nest (bed,oxygen tank, etc) so he is part of the action but can also have privacy when needed. I am also looking into Mom getting an ipad to download an app to help Dad communicate (you point at icons to state emotions and needs). She is fussing about that but Dad's eyes lit up when I mentioned it exists and this is something I am hoping will help if Mom will just give the go ahead. I'll let you all know about that later on.
I understand that you or your parents may feel apprehensive to receive in-home help or overwhelmed by all the options. There is a LOT of information out there.
There are many companies and individuals which cater to the senior population. It is in your best interest to consider all the options available so that your decision will be well informed.
Full Service agencies: The caregivers are employees supervised by an agency. This type of company will • Train and supervise staff • Withhold taxes • Conduct background checks • Drug screenings • Governed by state regulations • Provide workers compensation coverage • Compliant with Health Care Worker Registry • Licensed, bonded & insured
Employment agencies: The caregivers are contractors that work independently from the company. The company introduces and collects a fee for the caregiver chosen. This type of company • Collects placement fee • Do not withhold taxes • May conduct background checks • May conduct drug screenings • Do not provide workers compensation coverage • May not be licensed, bonded or insured
Hiring Privately – The Client is responsible for: • All state & federal taxes • Workers compensation coverage • Unemployment benefits • All liability • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has clear guidelines regarding caregivers & independent contractors; check with your local IRS office for your liability.
In terms of cost, hiring privately tends to be the cheapest hourly, however you must handle the tax liability. Some websites will do background checks and screening that you can verify before hiring a private caregiver for additional fees. You are also responsible for the hiring, firing and daily supervision. If they quit or require time off, you are responsible for finding a replacement at your own expense.
Employment agencies do the recruitment for you and present caregivers. They are generally in the middle of the spectrum of average home care costs. Your responsibilties are much like hiring privately but you will be assessed a fee to meet the caregivers or upon placement. Check the agreement carefully for replacement introductions or money-back "guarantees". If your caregiver turns out to be Nurse Ratchett, you may find yourself in a financial pickle when requesting a replacement.
Full-service agencies are on the higher spectrum of costs but are the highest regulated of the three. They offer a variety of choices in caregiving and handle the grueling details of scheduling. They also offer back-up caregivers in case the regular caregiver gets ill or requires time off.
In the State of Illinois, all Home Health, Home Care Services and Home Nursing agencies must be licensed. Check with your state. As a result there are standards that have been set forth and are required to address and to protect you and/or your dad's well being. If you or your family do not have reliable information to assist them with the decision, they may fall victim to elder abuse, neglect, fraud and exploitation. Shouldn’t you be able to continue to sustain the quality of your life with dignity, patience and compassion; without the fear of the unknown? I think so!
i agree with the above post. Once out of rehab you should be provided nursing, rehab and speech therapy at home depending on medicare and any additional services. My dad went throught the same thing and we had a nurse stop in daily after his stroke until they could regulate the cumiden and we had a speech therapist working with him for 6 months that came to the house. Talk to a respresentative at the hospital, they should be able to provide some answers. Good luck.
I hope your dad recovers enough to return home with some help. You may need to visit the skilled nursing facility around meal times to make sure that he is getting fed. And also make sure he is getting some actual interaction. I've really notices the hospitals and even the special critical care place dad was in for a month for antibiotics and "rehabilitation rehab" .... someone would just drop off the tray and not feed him. Then later the cafeteria would come by and pick it up. We started feeding him every meal to make sure he ate something.
Then recently my mother in law was in a very good hospital after a fall and fractured hip - she was on pain meds and not very awake, not able to sit up and feed herself... the cafeteria person came around with a cart, dropped off the tray, and when we arrived "after dinner" her tray was on a cart 2 feed from her ice cold and they came and picked it up with no one checking to see if she ate. This is suppose to be about the best hospital in our state. I've been around hospitals and nursing homes a lot lately and although the people are really "nice" they are also not paying attention.
I do not know if they are short handed or if they are all just tired of their jobs.
He is being transferred tomorrow from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility that is very close to home. Hopefully he won't have a third stroke and can recover some strength to make it home in the future. It is amazing how much he wants to get home. It is the most important thing to him.
Can he go into rehab temporarily until he gets some strength back and to give you guys a chance to make arrangements? Check with the hospital's social worker about Medicare assistance. Since he has been in the hospital there should be some help for a few weeks. Start asking the Medicare aides about people who do this kind of work by private hire. You will not have trouble fnding CNAs or aides....trained nursing or medical care will be a little more challenging. good luck
They seem to be feeding him well and bathing him/changing him and moving him occasionally to a wheel chair to not lose more muscle tone than he otherwise is.
If he gets home, we are discussing the options of care and trying to figure where to set up his nest (bed,oxygen tank, etc) so he is part of the action but can also have privacy when needed.
I am also looking into Mom getting an ipad to download an app to help Dad communicate (you point at icons to state emotions and needs). She is fussing about that but Dad's eyes lit up when I mentioned it exists and this is something I am hoping will help if Mom will just give the go ahead. I'll let you all know about that later on.
There are many companies and individuals which cater to the senior population. It is in your best interest to consider all the options available so that your decision will be well informed.
Full Service agencies: The caregivers are employees supervised by an agency. This type of company will
• Train and supervise staff
• Withhold taxes
• Conduct background checks
• Drug screenings
• Governed by state regulations
• Provide workers compensation coverage
• Compliant with Health Care Worker Registry
• Licensed, bonded & insured
Employment agencies: The caregivers are contractors that work independently from the company. The company introduces and collects a fee for the caregiver chosen. This type of company
• Collects placement fee
• Do not withhold taxes
• May conduct background checks
• May conduct drug screenings
• Do not provide workers compensation coverage
• May not be licensed, bonded or insured
Hiring Privately – The Client is responsible for:
• All state & federal taxes
• Workers compensation coverage
• Unemployment benefits
• All liability
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has clear guidelines regarding caregivers & independent contractors; check with your local IRS office for your liability.
In terms of cost, hiring privately tends to be the cheapest hourly, however you must handle the tax liability. Some websites will do background checks and screening that you can verify before hiring a private caregiver for additional fees. You are also responsible for the hiring, firing and daily supervision. If they quit or require time off, you are responsible for finding a replacement at your own expense.
Employment agencies do the recruitment for you and present caregivers. They are generally in the middle of the spectrum of average home care costs. Your responsibilties are much like hiring privately but you will be assessed a fee to meet the caregivers or upon placement. Check the agreement carefully for replacement introductions or money-back "guarantees". If your caregiver turns out to be Nurse Ratchett, you may find yourself in a financial pickle when requesting a replacement.
Full-service agencies are on the higher spectrum of costs but are the highest regulated of the three. They offer a variety of choices in caregiving and handle the grueling details of scheduling. They also offer back-up caregivers in case the regular caregiver gets ill or requires time off.
In the State of Illinois, all Home Health, Home Care Services and Home Nursing agencies must be licensed. Check with your state. As a result there are standards that have been set forth and are required to address and to protect you and/or your dad's well being. If you or your family do not have reliable information to assist them with the decision, they may fall victim to elder abuse, neglect, fraud and exploitation. Shouldn’t you be able to continue to sustain the quality of your life with dignity, patience and compassion; without the fear of the unknown? I think so!
I hope this helps.
You may need to visit the skilled nursing facility around meal times to make sure that he is getting fed. And also make sure he is getting some actual interaction.
I've really notices the hospitals and even the special critical care place dad was in for a month for antibiotics and "rehabilitation rehab" .... someone would just drop off the tray and not feed him. Then later the cafeteria would come by and pick it up. We started feeding him every meal to make sure he ate something.
Then recently my mother in law was in a very good hospital after a fall and fractured hip - she was on pain meds and not very awake, not able to sit up and feed herself... the cafeteria person came around with a cart, dropped off the tray, and when we arrived "after dinner" her tray was on a cart 2 feed from her ice cold and they came and picked it up with no one checking to see if she ate. This is suppose to be about the best hospital in our state. I've been around hospitals and nursing homes a lot lately and although the people are really "nice" they are also not paying attention.
I do not know if they are short handed or if they are all just tired of their jobs.
It is amazing how much he wants to get home. It is the most important thing to him.