Adult Day Care Services

Adult day center programs have been assisting caregivers for over 20 years. According to the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA), there are more than 3,500 centers nationwide servicing more than 150,000 Americans each day.

An adult day center: provides older adults with social and some health services, so they can remain independent, and affords caregivers respite from the often-demanding responsibilities of caregiving.

There are three main types of adult day centers.

• Adult Day Social Care,which provides social activities, meals, recreation and some health related services.

• Adult Day Health Services, which provides social activities as well as more intensive health, therapeutic and social services for those with severe medical problems or for those at risk of nursing home placement.

• Dementia-Specific Adult Day Care, which provides social and health services only to those with diagnosed dementias.

Although each facility may differ in features, scope of services and the area of expertise, there are some general services are offered by most centers.

These usually include transportation in handicapped accessible vehicles, planned social activity, meals and snacks, nursing care, personal care, counseling for depression and separation anxiety, therapeutic activities, and rehabilitation therapy. ¹

Home Health Care

Home care is care that allows a person with special needs to stay in their home. It might be for people who are getting older, are chronically ill, recovering from surgery or disabled.

Home care services include

• Personal care, such as help with bathing, washing your hair or getting dressed

• Homemaking, such as cleaning, yard work and laundry

• Cooking or delivering meals

• Health care, such as having a home health aide come to your home

You can get almost any type of help you want in your home. Some types of care and community services are free or donated. Many other types you have to pay for. Sometimes government programs or your health insurance will help cover the cost of certain home care services.

There are two broad categories of home care available for seniors:

• Companion Care: This term is used to describe a broad range of non-medical services. Care plans are tailored to the needs of the individual both in terms of hours of coverage and actual services.
  
  Coverage times can range from a few hours per day, one or more days per week, all the way to round-the-clock live-in support. Available services typically include companionship, meal planning and preparation, transportation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errands, bill paying, and personal care such as assistance with bathing and grooming.
  
  Companion care can be used by itself or in conjunction with home care provided by a family member.

• Home Healthcare: This care is provided by healthcare professionals, such as nurses, physical and occupational therapists, medical social workers, dieticians, technicians and medication managers.
  
  Services range from vital signs checks, blood draws and physical therapy to specialty offerings such as home dialysis. Healthcare services are typically ordered and supervised by a physician.
  
  There is usually very little overlap in the services of companion care and home healthcare providers.

As general guidelines for selecting professional home care services providers, the National Association for Home Care offers these questions for analyzing home health care providers:

• How long has this provider been serving the community?

• Does this provider supply literature explaining its services, eligibility requirements, fees, and funding sources?
  
  Many providers furnish patients with a detailed “Patient Bill of Rights” that outlines the rights and responsibilities of the providers, patients, and caregivers alike?
  
  An annual report and other educational materials also can provide helpful information about the provider.

• How does this provider select and train its employees? Does it protect its workers with written personnel policies, benefits packages, and malpractice insurance?

• Are nurses or therapists required to evaluate the patient's home care needs? If so, what does this entail? Do they consult the patient's physicians and family members?

• Does this provider include the patient and his or her family members in developing the plan of care? Are they involved in making care plan changes?

• Is the patient's course of treatment documented, detailing the specific tasks to be carried out by each professional caregiver?
  
  Does the patient and his or her family receive a copy of this plan, and do the caregivers update it as changes occur? Does this provider take time to educate family members on the care being administered to the patient?

• Does this provider assign supervisors to oversee the quality of care patients are receiving in their homes? If so, how often do these individuals make visits? Who can the patient and his or her family members call with questions or complaints? How does the agency follow up on and resolve problems?

• What are the financial procedures of this provider? Does the provider furnish written statements explaining all of the costs and payment plan options associated with home care?

• What procedures does this provider have in place to handle emergencies? Are its caregivers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

• How does this provider ensure patient confidentiality?

• In addition, ask the home care provider to supply you with a list of references, such as doctors, discharge planners, patients or their family members, and community leaders who are familiar with the provider's quality of service.

Contact each reference and ask:

• Do you frequently refer clients to this provider?

• Do you have a contractual relationship with this provider? If so, do you require the provider to meet special standards for quality care?

• What sort of feedback have you gotten from patients receiving care from this provider, either on an informal basis or through a formal satisfaction survey?

• Do you know of any clients this provider has treated whose cases are similar to mine or my loved one's? If so, can you put me in touch with these individuals?²

¹© MetLife
²© Eldercarelink.com

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