Finding the best home care for your loved ones in New York City can be a long process. When you know you need help because you have to work or you are physically unable to care for your loved ones as their Parkinson’s Disease progresses, you need to know what options are available. While some people will choose a long-term care facility for their loved ones, others prefer to keep them at home. This helps them to be around people who love them, keeps them in a familiar place, and even can offer them better care due to the one-on-one nature that home care offers. When you’re looking for Parkinson’s home care, here are some tips to help you find the best providers.
Learn to Ask Questions
It’s okay to be inquisitive about the care your loved one will be receiving in your home. Some people feel uncomfortable asking hard questions, but when it comes to allowing strangers into your daily life, ask the questions. Most home care agencies require their staff to undergo background checks and even require them to carry liability insurance. Since not all agencies are the same it’s okay to ask about the background checks of their staff. If English is a second language, you may even need to inquire about what options they offer for staff who speak your language fluently as well. Asking hard questions ensures that you get the care for your loved one that he or she needs.
Hire Staff Who Can Make Specialized Foods
Some patients are on special diets to reduce inflammation, help alleviate some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, or for allergy purposes. It’s important to hire people who understand these needs if they are going to care for someone in your home. Teaching them what to do if it’s very specific can help alleviate the burden for your home care workers. Some home care workers only take care of personal needs like bathing and dressing, while others may assist with household chores and meal preparation. Don’t assume that the staff will be well-versed in your family’s individual needs. Show them the ropes and be willing to discuss these needs with the nurses and staff who help set up your care plans.
Find a Home Care Agency That Specializes in Parkinson’s Care
There are agencies that hire and train their staff to care for the needs of patients with specific ailments. This means that staff who care for Alzheimer’s patients are well-trained in how to handle their needs. Conversely, staff may be then trained to help patients with Parkinson’s disease. This goes beyond the average training of how to transfer patients from bed to wheelchair or how to help them walk and be more ambulatory. If you want to ensure your loved one gets the best care, look for agencies that offer specialized care for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Their staff will be trained on typical behaviors to expect, how much care the patient may need, and how to interact with them in an appropriate way. While home care often emphasizes independence in things that the patient can do on their own, staff who understand Parkinson’s disease will be able to identify when the patient is no longer able to do as much independently and offer the right amount of assistance.
Look For Agencies Who Offer Alternative Treatments
Some people prefer to use a combination of Western and alternative medicine to care for themselves. When someone has needs that might include physiotherapy, acupuncture, and even some herbal remedies for health, it’s important to hire an agency that can either help provide some of these services, or that is comfortable working alongside them. The goal of any home care agency offering Parkinson’s care in New York City is to help patients get the best care in their homes for as long as possible. Home care is often more affordable than long-term care and using a combination of methodologies can improve the comfort and health of the patients. When you’re interviewing home care agencies make sure you ask questions about alternative treatments they allow and how they provide those services.
Get a Price Quote
It’s important to know exactly how much you’ll be expected to pay for home care. You need to know what it will cost for everything from the initial assessments to the cost of having a person come to your home. Since most workers are hourly employees and contractors, after the initial setup costs, there is typically an hourly wage that your money goes toward paying. Find out what those fees are, if there are any minimum hourly requirements to get care from their agency, and more. It’s critical for you to know exactly what the fees will be so you can make an informed decision for your loved one.
Find Out if You Get to Meet Potential Home Care Workers in Advance
Finding the right care can be tricky. Sometimes a person doesn’t work out not because they are bad, but simply because they weren’t the right fit for your family. Ask questions about how the process works for getting a home care worker to start helping. Do you get to meet them in advance? How will you know who is coming? Can you get a resume to better understand their experience? When you plan to have someone in for only a few hours a week, it’s much different than having a full-time worker come Monday through Friday. Do you get to choose who you have in your home, or does the agency simply send whoever is available?
Final Thoughts
Finding the best Parkinson’s home care in New York City is vital if you want to ensure your loved one can stay home as long as possible. Asking good questions about the process, who will be in your home, how to handle complaints, how to train staff to your particular needs, and more are all vital to ask as you interview home care agencies. You’d be amazed at the quality of care your loved one receives when you take the time to consider all these factors.
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