Approximately 7.6 million people in the US require some form of home health
care. Responding to this growing need there are now more than 20,000 home health
care companies registered throughout the United States. (Source: National
Association for Home Care)
Each state's criteria vary for home care companies. Some states have no
standards or requirements. Think about that last statement for a minute. Who are
you trusting to provide care and companionship for your elderly loved one and on
what basis do you determine that trust?
While researching for this article, we asked a number of private pay home
care agencies, "How do you ensure that your clients receive excellent care?" The
most popular answer to this question referenced the home care agency's
commitment to hiring quality aides and companions. In fact, not to sound rude,
but this answer was given so often it seemed that each were reading from the
same script.
"We interviewed 4 different agencies before hiring one to provide care for
mom. Each promised the basic same things to us ... in the end, in all honesty,
we simply went with our gut feelings," Mary Beth W. of Rocky River Ohio.
Mary Beth went on to explain that she 'wished' there was some outside entity
that she could turn to that would validate the promises and claims of these
agencies. She is not alone in this fact. Recent consumer surveys show that most
families would prefer an unbiased reporting system on the history of quality
care prior to contracting with a home care agency. (Survey source: Certified
Quality Elder Care)
Only two of the companies we interviewed were able to provide a method to
verify their claims. Carefree/Homecare Companion Services, Inc and the Florida
office of a franchised Visiting Angels offered the following statements,
"We are a Certified Senior Approved Service. As part of our overall
commitment to quality service for our seniors, we contracted with this
independent survey company. If you like, you may phone Senior Approved Services
to verify our customer satisfaction survey results at toll free 877-620-6448."
This was a powerful statement to hear and we did follow up with their offer.
By contacting Senior Approved Services we were able to validate the claims made
by Bob Hebert of Carefree/Homecare Companion Service, Inc., located in Phoenix
Arizona who described how his service ensures quality and safe practices.
Mr. Hebert stated, "Excellent care starts with hiring excellent caregivers.
We tend to hire older caregivers (we average 49-years old) that are more mature,
reliable and compassionate. We also conduct hands on training in a controlled
environment and observe the new employees before they are sent out to work
alone. The last part of ensuring excellent caregivers is to have a Case Manager
visit our clients un-announced at least once a month." ( href="http://www.carefreehomecare.com">http://www.carefreehomecare.com)
We were also assured of the validity of the statements made by Phyllis Rosen,
owner the Florida Visiting Angels office, when she offered, "We never just
assign the next available Caregiver to any patient.... We strive to create
relationships...not just a robot caregiver doing chores... Every member of our
team must approve anyone applying for a position as caregiver. We select only
the best... Without the best caregivers, we have no business...they're our
lifeblood and we let them know that. ( href="http://www.visitingangelsfl.com">http://www.visitingangelsfl.com)
It seemed odd that only two home care companies (we spoke with 42 agencies
across the US) were able to point towards third party validation. Many boasted
certifications however; contacting the associations that issue or award the
certifications was a disappointment. We were not able to find any that would
validate the businesses that they certified. In fact, disclaimers removing the
liability of referring to one company over another was common.
It is clear that the number of families in search of quality elder care will
continue to grow. The number of home care agencies will increase in direct
response. Perhaps it is time that all home care companies allow an unbiased
outside service to verify its claims. At this point, it appears that Senior
Approved Services is the only company that does offer unbiased third party
validations. If our research is incorrect (or incomplete) and you offer a method
to verify the claims of home care companies please send an email to
jonathanreports@yahoo.com
Free: Seniors and family can contact Senior Approved Services by visiting href="http://www.seniorapprovedservices.com">http://www.seniorapprovedservices.com
Home care companies can apply for Senior Approved Certification by visiting
http://www.qualityeldercare.com