How To Choose A Home Health Aide

By 5TJT STAFF
After a fall, illness, procedure, surgery, or with advanced age, you might very well need someone to help care for you in your home.
“Caring for a loved one at home can be an overwhelming experience,” says Walter Kaltenbach, chief executive officer at Able Health Care, a local licensed home health care agency. “Today, there are options for those who need assistance to remain safely and happily in their own homes.” Among their other duties, home health aides help with personal care functions, bathing, meal preparation, laundry, housekeeping, and shopping, carefully reminding patients when to take their medications and ensuring patients’ safety and mobility while residing in their homes.
To qualify for home care services, a patient’s physician will determine the level of care and services in conjunction with a home health care agency, to establish a plan of treatment and authorize services.
Next, call an agency that will send a registered nurse to your home to assess your needs and develop a plan of care. “This is an inter­disciplinary endeavor, involving the nurse, the patient, and the family members,” Kaltenbach explains.
Be sure to go through a New York State licensed or certified home health agency to be sure you’re getting a home care worker with the appropriate training and qualifications.
Based on your needs, the agency will select a home care worker that is experienced with that type of care. “At Able Health Care, we hand-select a home care worker that is appropriate and meets the needs of the client and the family, in order to provide the required care,” added Kaltenbach.
The nurse will then orient the home care worker to plan the care that has been established. Home care is the optimal solution, as it allows people to live with dignity and respect in their own homes.
Kaltenbach adds, “It keeps patients out of nursing homes, it keep families together, and the patients recover better in their familiar home environment because once you remove them from the environment, it is more likely their health will decline.”
Able Health Care is a New York State licensed home care service and is accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO). Able serves the five boroughs of New York City, all of Long Island, and Westchester County. They provide live-ins and hourly care for elderly or ill adults and for those with physical limitations. For complete information on Long Island call 516-634-2664 and in New York City and Westchester call 718-408-6242 or visit www.ablehealthcare.com.