SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY Senior Information Guide
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY Senior Information Guide
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY Senior Information Guide
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Most older adults want to stay independent for as long<br />
as possible. They want to stay in control of their lives and<br />
live in their homes or apartments among familiar surroundings<br />
and friends. Sometimes, in order to achieve this goal,<br />
additional help in the home is needed.<br />
The range of available in-home services is extensive–meals,<br />
repairs, personal care, telephone reassurance<br />
calls. The growth in the homebound population is<br />
sparking interest in the development of services to meet<br />
this emerging need. You can expect the community to<br />
respond to this need to assist older persons to remain<br />
safe and secure in their homes.<br />
For information about home-delivered meals, see Food<br />
and Nutrition Services section. For information about<br />
home repairs see Housing section. For information<br />
about home safety and adaptive or assistive devices, see<br />
Equipment and Special Need Services.<br />
Home Care<br />
Skilled Service Certifi ed Home Health<br />
Agencies<br />
Home health agencies coordinate skilled nursing and<br />
personal care services for the homebound senior. These<br />
agencies may be for-profi t, non-profi t, or an outpatient<br />
extension of a hospital. They must be certifi ed by Medicare,<br />
licensed by the State and preferably accredited by<br />
the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care<br />
Organizations (JCAHO) or Community Health Accreditation<br />
Program (CHAP).<br />
To qualify for services you must have a doctor’s order,<br />
be homebound and require skilled care. You can choose<br />
which agency to use. Your doctor can make recommendations.<br />
The hospital discharge planner must provide<br />
you a list of available home health agencies. Log onto<br />
www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE for Home<br />
Health Compare for consumer information.<br />
Payment options are:<br />
Medicare Part A (Hospital) for the homebound patient<br />
Medicare Part B for some rehabilitative services if the<br />
patient is not homebound<br />
Medi-Cal for some home health services from a certifi ed<br />
agency<br />
Private Insurance/Private Pay<br />
Health Maintenance Organizations<br />
Home IV/Enteral Therapy<br />
Several local pharmacies work in cooperation with<br />
home health agencies to provide intravenous antibiotic<br />
therapy, enteral and parenteral nutritional therapy, fl uid<br />
replacement, pain management and home chemotherapy.<br />
Services may be covered under insurance policies,<br />
Medicare or Medi-Cal.<br />
In-Home Care Solutions<br />
Personal and Custodial Care Service<br />
Agencies– Respite, Homemaker, Companion,<br />
Public and Private<br />
These services are considered non-medical and nonskilled.<br />
Homemaker and personal care services include<br />
help with feeding, meal preparation, bathing, dressing,<br />
shaving, hair care, light housework and grocery shopping.<br />
Respite is the care of a frail senior to give the<br />
primary caregiver relief.<br />
Hiring In-Home Help<br />
Generally, there are two ways to secure in-home help:<br />
purchase it through an agency or directly hire an individual<br />
to provide the needed service(s). Purchasing services<br />
directly from agencies may save time, usually taken up by<br />
paperwork, recruitment and supervisory tasks, and may<br />
provide reliable and trustworthy help. However, the cost<br />
is usually lower when you hire your own help directly. The<br />
cost, convenience and risk factors must be balanced for<br />
your best interest. If you have Long-Term Care Insurance<br />
which covers in-home help, be sure to check with your<br />
provider regarding the requirements for receiving reimbursement<br />
for that care.<br />
Hiring Your Own Home Care Providers<br />
When you hire an in-home care worker yourself, there are<br />
many things to consider. You must locate an experienced<br />
caregiver, screen by phone, interview, check references,<br />
supervise, have a homeowners insurance policy which<br />
includes accident and injury coverage, provide Workers<br />
Compensation insurance, provide for Social Security, and<br />
comply with IRS regulations.<br />
One source of potential employees is an Attendant Care<br />
Listing. Several local agencies maintain a listing of persons<br />
who are looking for paid work in the home.<br />
A <strong>Guide</strong> has been prepared to assist you. It contains information<br />
about contracts, questions to ask applicants, checking<br />
references, supervision and dismissal of employees,<br />
fi nancial and legal responsibilities, or getting help through<br />
an agency. To obtain a copy of the free guide, “Hiring In-<br />
Home Help: A Practical <strong>Guide</strong> for <strong>Senior</strong>s and their Families,”<br />
call the Area Agency on Aging at 800-510-2020.<br />
There are several private Agencies offering home care. Public<br />
Agencies also offer homemaker services at no or low-cost to<br />
eligible seniors. See Directory for specifi c listings.<br />
Questions to Ask When Choosing a<br />
Homemaker and Personal Care Agency<br />
1. Are all caregivers background screened, fi ngerprinted<br />
and tested for appropriate skills?<br />
2. Are all employees bonded and insured against malpractice<br />
and injury while in the home?<br />
3. Does the company provide caregivers with ongoing<br />
education and training to ensure the highest quality<br />
professional standards are maintained?<br />
2007-2009 <strong>SAN</strong> <strong>LUIS</strong> <strong>OBISPO</strong> <strong>COUNTY</strong> SENIOR INFORMATION GUIDE 65
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