Fellow Community Members,
Today I am blogging about some of the common questions that we receive during our in-home care consultations. I hope that you find this blog and corresponding video informative, especially when choosing a senior home care provider for your loved one. Please give us a call or visit our website should you have any further questions and we will gladly get you the right answers.
How much do our home care services cost?
We will work with you to provide a custom service/care plan to determine how many hours per week a caregiver will need to be in the home. The pricing for our home care services is dependent on the level of care. More specifically, the price per hour for a care plan that only involves “no touch” assistance such as companion care and homemaker activities will be different than that of one that requires “touch” assistance with basic activities of daily living (ADLs). The basic ADLs are eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (walking) and continence.
Does Home Helpers of Bradenton, FL accept Medicare?
No, we do not accept Medicare. We are providing a non-medical service and therefore cannot bill Medicare for our services. However, we do accept Long Term Care (LTC) insurance as well as the VA Aid & Attendance Pension benefit.
* Long Term Care Insurance: If you or your loved one is planning to use a long-term care insurance policy for our in-home care services, it may be helpful to gather all information and understand the policy before you meet with us. For example, most insurance companies typically require that a doctor or nurse assess an individual and require assistance with two or more activities of daily living -OR- have a cognitive impairment. In addition, most policies have an elimination period of 30, 60, or 90 days before an individual can receive services (after he/she has been determined to be eligible for the benefit). Note that some policies require an amount of paid services during the elimination period.
* VA Aid & Attendance Pension benefit: This is a benefit for veterans and their spouses that can cover our senior care services. There are eligibility requirements for the benefit including a qualifying service record, age/disability criteria, income, and assets. We would be more than happy to provide more information on this benefit and provide assistance with the application process.
Are your caregivers your employees? And are they licensed and bonded?
We hire our own employees and conduct background checks (including motor vehicle history reports). As part of the hiring process, we also check references and verify employment. I, Jonathan Marsh, personally interview every caregiver, as I would not allow any caregiver into a home with a client that I would not trust to take care of my own family member.
Our home care agency is licensed through the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to provide non-medical in-home care, incorporating homemaker, companion, and personal care services. Our employees operate under our licensed and are authorized to only do work that they have demonstrated the required skills for. At the time this blog was written, we have a policy of only hiring home health aides and certified nursing assistants as caregivers.
How about insurance, payroll, taxes, training, etc.?
We handle all of the insurance (general liability, worker’s compensation, crime bond, employment practices liability insurance, auto insurance), payroll, taxes, employee training, scheduling and supervision, and ensure appropriate in-home care is given. Our registered nurses are a critical part of our senior home care operation, overseeing our caregiver staff and client care. When working with a registry or independent caregiver, these responsibilities fall on you.
Do you provide 24/7 care and Live-in care services?
Home Helpers of Bradenton provides both 24/7 care and live-in care. With 24/7 care, an alert caregiver is always present. We typically send caregivers in shifts of 8 or 12 hours. With live-in care, the caregiver will actually live in the home.
Does Home Helpers provide medical alert services?
We have a line of medical alert services called “Direct Link” that we can provide as a stand-alone service or as part of our care plans. We incorporate technology into ALL regularly scheduled care plans so that the client always feels safe even when a caregiver is not present. This is NOT an add-on service.
Yours truly,
Jonathan Marsh
Contact Home Helpers of Bradenton FL for your Senior Care Needs
For information about how Home Helpers of Bradenton can serve you and your family, call (941) 499-5946, email JMarsh@HomeHelpersHomeCare.com or visit In-Home Care Bradenton FL – Home Helpers. Our senior home care services including homemaker care, companion care, personal care, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, respite care, 24 hour care & live-in care, and monitoring and medical alert services are available in Manatee County and Sarasota County in and around the communities of Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Ellenton, Holmes Beach, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Myakka City, Palmetto, Parrish, and Sarasota. Our main office is located at 4230 59th St W, Ste C, Bradenton, FL 34209.
