Seniors are living longer, which means concerned family members must often make difficult choices about how to care for their loved ones. Finding an in-home health care provider that you trust to provide high-quality, compassionate care can be a challenge on many levels.

Some reasons in-home health care might be needed include:

• A chronic health condition requires continuous care
• A surgical treatment requires post-operative care
• Injury or illness requires aid to recover and recuperate

In any of the above cases, concerned family members with power of attorney will need to start the process of selecting an appropriate healthcare agency.

How To Find & Hire A Home Health Care Aide, Or Visiting Nurse In Fairfield, Connecticut

As your loved ones grow older, it’s natural to worry about how they will get along from day to day. When searching for a home health care agency, it’s important to ask some specific questions to determine if the provider is the best one for your needs. Screening questions include:

• What specific skills does the agency’s home health providers have to offer?
• Do the providers 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 taken into account?
• Are the home health care providers licensed and insured?
• What specific services are provided beyond in-home treatment?

An important part of the screening process is asking for references and then checking up on them. This will give you a better idea of what the agencies you are evaluating offer beyond what you learn from the interviews. 

Also keep in mind that you should never settle for the first agency that you interview, or even one that you are not 100% satisfied with.

Connecticut Insurance And Billing Questions

Medicare pays for in-home health care for a short period of time. Typically, private insurance fills in any gaps that Medicare won’t cover. Also, private insurance can pay for care that goes past the period of time that Medicare covers.