Private home care is the most common form of senior care, typically paid for with savings or assets from family.
Some families opt to hire caregivers directly through a registry or personal referral from someone they trust; this method, however, requires more responsibilities and risks than working with an agency.
Costs
Home care can be an expensive endeavor, ranging from the average home health aide cost of $5,148 per month in 2021 to more costly options like long term care facilities. Many seniors opt to cover these expenses through private funds or long-term care insurance policies.
Private home care agencies differ from Medicare or Medicaid in that they can fully control staffing and caregiver allocation, and hire caregivers based on skills, experience, compatibility with client needs, which ultimately results in higher client satisfaction and profitability.
Nurse Next Door home care agencies offer 24-hour home care if their clients require it and provide an array of non-medical care, from companionship and household tasks to transportation and medication management – and can even help arrange doctor appointments or provide respite for family caregivers. In general, this non-medical care is not covered by private health or life insurance policies.
Flexibility
Home care services can be found through various sources, including private insurance, Medicare and long-term care plans. The type of care that best meets your individual needs depends on you – typically regular home visits or live-in care visits are most suitable – though regardless of which service provider is chosen it is essential that they can meet any unique circumstances that arise.
Home care programs’ ability to respond flexibly to clients’ holistic, everyday needs and shifting circumstances is determined by the dynamics of networks of relationships among system actors. A relational gerontological approach reveals how flexibility manifests in daily decisions about time, tasks, schedules, roles and costs for services provided.
One participant (NSHSW1) described how task-based service allocation, institutionalized norms surrounding workers’ professional roles and low worker continuity limit systems’ capacity to respond flexibly to clients’ emotional and social needs. Such flexibility depends on CCs having power to make exceptions as well as contextual knowledge about clients.
Insurance
Long-term care insurance from many private home care agencies helps cover some of the expenses associated with living at home as you age, such as personal care and homemaking services, meal preparation, shopping for essential items, housekeeping duties and transportation needs. This policy generally pays for a wide array of services like personal assistance and homemaking assistance as well as meal preparation, shopping for essentials and transportation needs.
Medicare and Medicaid both cover some home care services, usually limited to short-term visits by skilled nursing or therapy teams. They do not cover around-the-clock personal services like bathing and dressing assistance.
Plan ahead and purchase a life insurance policy with a rider for long term care – often much more cost-effective than purchasing individual long-term care plans. In addition, commercial general liability policies provide protection in case accidents or injuries arise while providing home care services; these coverage options may even come together under one umbrella policy known as business owner’s policies (BOPs). These premiums can provide invaluable peace of mind.
Overnight Care
Home care services provide an economical alternative to expensive nursing facilities for senior residents who require 24-hour assistance, giving families peace of mind while they work, travel or enjoy vacation knowing their loved one will be taken care of professionally.
Numerous agencies provide overnight services tailored to specific needs, including helping with bathing, using the toilet/commode and medication reminders. Night shift caregivers may also prepare meals, monitor vital signs or assist with mobility assistance.
Families can fund home care services overnight out of pocket or with private or long-term care policies; Medicare Advantage plans cover non-medical home health services. When making this decision, it is crucial to understand all of your options and their respective benefits; to do this effectively it is recommended that an agency provides you with an information packet outlining all fees and services they offer so that you can make the right choice based on both budget and care needs.