How To Find & Hire A Home Health Care Aide or Visiting Nurse In Oxford, Connecticut

Here are just two of the reasons you may require an in-home healthcare aide:

1. A loved one requires continuous care for a chronic health condition
2. A loved one requires post-operative care
3. The patient requires care following an illness or an injury

In any of the above cases, if you’re the family member who has power of attorney over your loved one’s healthcare needs you will likely need to begin the process of contracting a healthcare company. There are a lot of healthcare companies out there and a large amount of your time will likely be spent screening through these agencies. But the fastest and most reliable way of whittling through them is by asking the right questions.

The Importance Of Asking Good Questions

When you’re screening home healthcare companies it’s really your job to try to get to the heart of their operation. After all, this is the company that will be taking care of someone near and dear to you so there’s no reason to take chances or cut corners. The main objective in this phase is to get a feel for the company’s care style as well as find out how you will fit into it. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask questions such as how long they’ve been serving your community and the specifics of what goes into building treatment plans for their patients. To help you out, here are some more questions you should ask during your querying:

• What specific skills does the agency’s home health providers have to offer?
• Do the caregivers participate in continuing education courses?
• If the patient isn’t happy with their assigned provider, can they ask for a replacement provider?
• What metrics are used to monitor the patient’s care and medical progress?
• Are the patient’s medications reviewed during the course of treatment?
• On what basis is a treatment plan created?
• How often are treatment plans reassessed?
• Are the health care wishes of the patient included and respected?
• Are the home health providers licensed and insured?
• What specific services are provided beyond in-home treatment?

Also make sure that during the screening process you receive referrals from the different agencies you contact. Try to get a range of them. Some from doctors, some from patients and their family members and even some from companies that work closely with the agency. All of these things together should give you a better idea of the agency’s suitability to help your family during this challenging time.