Assessing Home Care Solutions and Options for Seniors in West Chester, PA and Surrounding Areas

Learn more about the different types of home care and the best home care solutions for your family.

Although home care solutions can improve your parent’s quality of life and allow them to live as independently as possible, choosing care options can be a difficult task. However, knowing the differences between the types of services and providers can ease the decision-making process. Before you make up your mind make sure you research every option and ask the right questions.

Typical Home Care Services

Caregivers assist seniors with different everyday tasks thus allowing them to age in their own home. Most providers offer similar home care solutions.

Homemaking and companionship care: This type of care includes meal preparation, running errands, grocery shopping, medication reminders, transportation, light housekeeping as well as companionship.

Personal care: If your parent needs help with bathing, grooming, and hygiene, toileting and incontinence, caregivers will assist them.

Specialized services: Specialized home care solutions include around-the-clock emergency response, live-in care, and care for seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Home Care Providers’ Business Structures

You need to decide whether you want to work with employment-based agencies, registries, or independent providers. The main difference between these structures is in the determination of who is considered the caregiver’s employer.

Employment-Based Agencies

An employment-based agency can be a corporation, subsidiary, or franchise. Working with caregivers from this kind of agency has many benefits. Since this organization employs the caregiver, you won’t have anything to do with employment laws and requirements. The agency will interview prospective caregivers, conduct a background check, validate references, and take care of all fringe cost. It will provide bonding insurance for caregivers as well as ongoing training to ensure quality care. When you decide to work with an agency you can rest assured that your caregiver has received proper training and is skilled and experienced to provide the best level of care. Since this kind of organization works with a large number of caregivers you can have peace of mind knowing that someone will be there to provide care in the event the regular caregiver is unavailable.

Registries

Although registries create and manage databases of caregivers, they do not actually employ the home care providers. That means that you will be considered the caregiver's employer and thus be responsible for employment tax withholdings and insurance coverage. While registries usually complete background checks, they do not provide training. If a caregiver is unable to perform their duties, the registry will offer another home care solutions provider.

Independents

An independent caregiver can be someone your family knows, someone from the community or someone who advertises their home care services in the local newspaper. However, there are several things you should consider before securing the relationship. If you decide to hire an independent caregiver you will be their employer and be responsible for all employment taxes and deductions. You will also have to secure the appropriate insurance coverage, as well as perform a background check and verify all the information the caregiver has given you.

If you would like to learn more about available home care solutions, contact the nearest Comfort Keepers office for information.