Growing Need for Home Healthcare
As people live longer, the need for home care likely increases. While some aging seniors can receive personal care from family members, others search for care from a qualified home health aide. Hiring a home health aide can allow your loved one to remain in the comfort of his or her own home while getting the support for the activities of daily living needed. Home health aides may do anything from providing personal care to cooking. If your loved one needs help with general house duties like meal preparation, a specially certified home health aide may be sufficient. It is important to make sure that you find a qualified caregiver that meets the needs of your loved one. Here are some things you’ll want to make sure your home health aide has.
Certified & Specially Trained
You want to make sure that your home health aide is certified. Most are either Certified Home Health Aides or Certified Personal Care Aides. In the state of New York, home health aides receive their certification from a training institute. All New York approved training institutes will be certified and licensed by the New York State Department of Education. Home Health Aides maintain their certification by working for a licensed agency that will provide the 12 hours of annual in-service instruction they need to keep their certification current.
Current Credentials & Valid References
It is important that your home health aide have valid references – whether they are previous employers, school professors, or mentors. They should be willing to allow you some time to review and talk with these references. A reputable home care agency will require this as a matter of course. Such an agency is meticulous about validating all the information on their home health aide’s application. They also check that their certificates are current and valid with the New York State Department of Health.
Criminal Background Check
A criminal background check is done through fingerprinting. If your home health aide has committed a crime, they would’ve been finder-printed soon after the time of arrest. By requesting a finger print background check, you can be sure that your home health aide is clear of a criminal past. A licensed home care agency takes care of this step for you. In fact, it is not allowed by law to hire aides convicted of a felony. While it is up to the discretion of each agency to hire someone convicted of a misdemeanor, many will not hire an aide with any criminal background at all as an extra safety net since they are sending aides into client’s homes.
Since the above certification and security checks can be labor intensive, many people searching for a home health aide prefer to use a home health care agency that will relieve you entirely of these tasks. Additionally, a Registered Nurse will do an initial nursing assessment and provide ongoing assessment and supervision periodically or as needed as part of the service.
David York Agency Qualified Aides
At David York Agency, we ensure that all home health aides and personal care aides are certified and specially trained. We check for current credentials and valid references. Additionally, our astute personnel specialists interview each and every candidate. All home health aides are thoroughly screened, fingerprinted and checked for a criminal background. David York Agency also provides frequent in-house/in-service education. The agency is insured and bonded. We only send aides of the highest caliber and integrity to your loved one’s home.
Home health aides should be trusted to take care of aging parents, a spouse or loved one who needs extra help. Knowing they are fully qualified will ease your mind and help make the decision to hire a lot easier.
For more information on hiring a home health aide, contact David York Agency at 718-376-7755 and browse our website. Please like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.
