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How To Maximize Your Home Care Experience:
Contracts & Relationship. Part 4 in a 4 part series
By Derrick Merchant, Alternative Home Care for Seniors
For the past three issues, I've shared with you how to maximize your home care experience: In September, the focus was on pre-planning. In October, I talked about how to hire an agency. In November, I offered some ideas as to how to create a care plan. In this final installment, I'd like to touch on contractual agreements and your relationship with your home care agency. This information is also available to you at any time through archived issues of Home Care Today (September - December 2009 issues) in the news section of our website.
Before entering into a new relationship with a home care agency, consider the following:
1) Contractual agreements: Stay away from any company that binds you
to any particular length of time for their services. You should be able to
acquire services for as long as you need them. When those services are no
longer needed, or if you are not satisfied with the services, you should be able
to discontinue the services. Ask about additional fees. Most companies will
charge time and a half for holidays, but you should have the option to refuse
service for that day if you so choose. Find out what your payment obligation is
and plan for it. Remember that the agency is paying your caregiver regularly
and they are entitled to the same from you.
2) Relationship:
Develop and maintain a good working and communication relationship with the
agency you are working with. Address small issues with the agency before they
become big problems. If you are generally pleased with the performance of your
caregiver, but there are one or two areas that need to be addressed, give
the care giver the opportunity to correct those issues in an effort to maintain
consistency and minimize turnover.
Keeping
these tips in mind should help you and your loved one have a pleasant home care
experience for the time you need it.
Since 2002, Derrick Merchant has
been co-owner and chief administrator for Alternative Home Care for Seniors. He has more than 20 years experience in the home health care
industry
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Home Care Today is an e-news publication of Alternative Home Care for Seniors. Each monthly issue features quick-read information pertaining to seniors, caregivers, our community involvement, etc. In addition, we proudly feature a story on a senior service other than home care in each issue. If you have an idea that benefits seniors, we'd like to know about it for a possible future issue. To see archived e-newsletters for Home Care Today, click here. All articles copyright Alternative Home Care for Seniors 2009. To request permission to reprint articles or content from past issues, please contact sharna.fulton@att.net
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