Q. Do you provide personal care and
practical needs?
A. YES. Special Care provides bathing and personal hygiene, dressing and
transferring. The Agency also provides meal preparation, light house cleaning, errands and
transportation to and from doctor appointments or other appointments as requested.
Q. Are your services for the elderly only?
A. NO. Special Care can provide care for individuals recovering from
surgery, new mothers who need extra assistance, individuals with a disability or anyone
needing extra assistance in their own home or another care facility.
Q. Do you provide care outside the home?
A. YES. Special Care also provides secondary care at assisted living
facilities, nursing homes and hospitals.
Q. Do you work with Hospice?
A. YES. Special Care provides secondary care for people who are on
Hospice. The Agency works very closely with the nurse assigned to the client.
Q. Do you provide 24 hour care?
A. YES. Special Care will provide 24 hour care on a temporary basis. If a
client is in need of additional care because of illness or surgery, Special Care will stay
24 hours. The Agency does not provide live-in care.
Q. Does your Agency offer an in-home assessment before
care begins?
A. YES. The Director of Special Care comes to the home to do an
assessment. The potential client's activities of daily living (ADL's) are discussed to
enable the Director to develop a plan of care designed specifically for the individual.
Q. How are the caregivers selected to work for Special
Care?
A. Caregivers are interviewed by the Special Care administrative staff. A
criminal reference check through the appropriate state agency is completed, employee
reference checks are made and an extensive screening is completed on each applicant. All
employees are bonded and insured through the Agency.
Q. How is a caregiver selected for a client?
A. After the assessment has been completed, the Director selects a
caregiver who is available and meets the skills needed for the client. This includes
taking into consideration whether the client wants a male or female, someone younger or
older, ethnic preferences and personality traits.
Q. What happens if the client does not like the
caregiver who has been selected?
A. Special Care will make every effort to select the best match for the
client, but if the person is not acceptable to the client, the Agency will replace the
caregiver with another.
Q. Does Medicare cover the costs of care provided by
Special Care?
A. NO. Special Care is a non-medical homecare provider and does not fit
the medical criteria; therefore Medicare will not cover the expenses. There are some long
term care policies that include non-medical homecare.
Q. Do you have a minimum number of hours per visit?
A. YES. Special Care has a four hour minimum per visit.
Q. Are emergency procedures and protocol for care in
writing?
A. YES. Special Care asks the family of the person in need of care to
write out procedures for the caregivers. This includes, but is not limited to, emergency
contacts, information on Living Wills, whether the client is DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) and
what hospital or Hospice needs to be contacted.
Q. Will I have the same caregiver and what happens if
the caregiver is sick?
A. YES. Special Care understands the importance of having the same
caregiver for the client and makes every effort to have the same person take care of the
client. If the caregiver is sick, the Agency first calls the client to let them know
that the regular caregiver is sick and that a substitute will be coming. The same
substitute will be used until the regular caregiver is well enough to return to work.
Q. Does the client have to sign a contract?
A. NO. Special Care requires the client or a family member sign a Service
Agreement. The client is not restricted to a certain amount of time of service.
Schedules may be increased or decreased at any time based on client needs.
Q. What can the caregiver do for the client?
A. The caregiver is trained to provide personal care needs and practical
care needs. Because each client has different needs, Special Care asks the client or
family member to make a list of specific chores that need to be completed on a daily
basis.
Q. Can Special Care caregivers administer medications,
do injections and infusion therapy?
A. NO. Special Care is a non-medical homecare provider and legally cannot
provide these services under the guidelines for non-medical care. The caregiver can
give medication reminders, only, to the client.
Q. What makes Special Care better than any other Agency?
A. Special Care takes pride in hand selecting each caregiver to match the
needs of the client. The same caregiver will assist the client with their specific
needs and will demonstrate compassion and understanding of the client's needs with dignity
and respect. |
