Santa Cruz – Home Care

Many factors should be thought about before choosing a home care services in Santa Cruz County, including the larger cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and Capitola, to provide a caregiver for your loved one. Because everyone's needs are different, write down as much as possible regarding what your loved one needs in terms of care before you begin your research.

Questions to ask yourself might include:

• Do I want a Diamond Certified company that is rated best in quality and backed by the Diamond Certified Guarantee?
• Does my loved one have any special medical or care needs that will affect the in-home care provider?
• How involved do I want to be in the care of my loved one? (This may impact the amount of in-home care you will need.)
• How much in-home care will my loved one require on a daily basis?
• What is my budget?

Once you've narrowed down the field to some of the preferred home care facilities in Santa Cruz County, including the smaller cities of Amesti, Aptos, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Chittenden, and Davenport, visit some in person to meet the representative and interview the staff. Questions you may want to consider asking at this point include:

1. Does the family have a voice in the plan of care? Is there a requirement that a primary family caregiver be available as a condition of qualifying for services? If so, what are the requirements?
2. Who is responsible for coordinating the care and schedule of my loved one?
3. What if the person that we hire does not work out? Can someone else be assigned? How long will that take?
4. Do the in-home care employees have reliable transportation?
5. If my loved one needs specialized medical care, are employees licensed to perform it?
6. Will I be able to contact a supervisor 24/7?
7. Under what circumstances does the agency or my loved one have the right to terminate the contract?
8. What kind of quality control checks are made by a supervisor? How frequently are they made?
9. Can the agency's caregivers meet the special needs, whether religious, cultural, or medical, of my loved one?
10. Will the same person be providing care on a regular basis? If a problem occurs, is there a backup person provided?
11. Can I interview the in-home care employee before they begin? Is there an additional fee for this?
12. Who is available if problems arise?
13. Can you provide a list of ten references? If your loved one has a specific need, ask for references of two or three families that have had a family member with that same specific need and have received care from this company.

Once a home care agency has been chosen in Santa Cruz County, including the smaller cities of Ellicott, Forest Springs, Freedom, Majors, Olympia, and Soquel, your loved one will begin to transition to adjusting to having in-home assistance. Here are a few suggestions to consider so that you can discuss this transitional time with your loved one:

Convey your concerns as your own so that you don't sound critical
Refrain from making accusations such as "It's evident you can't take care of yourself anymore. We need to do something before it's too late." Your loved one might find statements such as this offensive. Try to use expressions of concern so that your loved one might be more open to accepting home care. Examples of this would be, "I'm really concerned that you might not be getting everything that you need. What do you think we should do?"

Try to find reasons behind any antagonism
If your loved one seems resistant to accepting senior home care, it could be that they are worried about the fact that they are no longer able to do tasks that were formerly simple. It might be easier to deny any problems or minimize them. Perhaps your loved one is grieving the loss of someone special, or frustrated at an inability to connect with friends. If your loved one has a hard time getting out and is losing support, they could be at risk for depression.

Involve your loved one in the decision-making process
Unless your loved one is unable to make decisions, the final choice regarding their adult home care or live-in care is up to him or her. You can offer suggestions and ideas. You can also frame the suggestion of home care as something to try temporarily instead of trying to force a permanent solution on them.

Enlist help from others
Speaking with others who have had positive experiences with home care can often take out some of the fear of the unknown. If possible, have your loved one meet with others who have used home care services. You might want to consider meeting with your loved one's physician. Getting feedback from an uninvolved third party can often help a loved one realize that things need to change.

Paying for a Good Home Care Facility in Santa Cruz County
The price of a home care agency in Santa Cruz County including the larger cities Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and Capitola, and is an important concern. More expensive agencies do not necessarily offer better value. So before making a final decision regarding the best home care agency for your loved one in Santa Cruz County, it's important to consider the following tips:

• Home care aides most often bill on an hourly basis.
• Typically home care aides visit an individual several times per week for period lasting from two to eight hours. Nationwide the hourly rate averages between $13-$29 per hour. Private individuals can be hired to provide the same services with fees that are 20-30% lower, but these individuals are typically uninsured and do not go through thorough background checks.
• Home care aides in Santa Cruz County provide personal care rather than medical care; as a result, health insurance and Medicare do not help with these costs. Families usually use Social Security, Veterans, and other pensions to pay for care.
• If home health care is considered medically necessary, the cost may be covered, at least in part, by Medicare and other health insurance programs.
• If your loved one has long term care insurance, some plans include allowances for personal care.
• There are non-Medicaid, federal programs that provide financial assistance or cover some of the cost of home care. These include SSI State Supplements, Supplemental Security Income, Survivors' Benefits, Veterans Health Care, Veterans Pensions, Lifespan Respite Care Program, etc.
• Some programs and tax credits can reduce a family's tax burden or reduce the hours of care required which affects the overall cost of care. These programs include Alzheimer's Respite Care, Elderly and Disabled Tax Credit, Federal Elderly Care Tax Credit, LIHEAPAeiAid for Energy Costs, Medical Expense Tax Deductions, NFCSP Respite Care, State Elderly Care Tax Credit, and Veteran's Administration Respite Care.
• Life insurance policies may be converted to cash and used for home care if a set of requirements are met.

Home care clients in Santa Cruz County, including the larger cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and Capitola, are offered several services by home care agencies. Each client may have special needs or require specific types of care. Following is a general overview of the home care services available:

Exercise
Home care providers oversee exercise programs as prescribed by a medical doctor. They can perform simple procedures such as range of motion as instructed by and under the supervision of a therapist.

Personal care services in Santa Cruz County
Home care assistants provide or assist with the client's personal care. This includes bathing, shampooing hair, oral hygiene, general skin care, dressing and grooming. They also assist clients with mobility and ambulation as appropriate.

Household tasks assistance
Home care providers perform household tasks which includes changing bed linen, washing dishes, vacuuming and dust-mopping floors, , grocery shopping, dusting furniture, emptying trash, etc.

Light housekeeping
Home health care providers perform light housekeeping chores for the client. These chores may include but are not limited to washing and ironing clothes, dusting, sweeping, and making beds.

Adult transportation services in Santa Cruz County
Home care providers transport clients to appointments, on shopping trips and errands, to social events such as dinners and parties, etc.

Elder care observation and documentation
Home companions report observations in a timely manner to a supervisor or RN Case Manager. This is for the purpose of bringing attention to changes in the client or addressing urgent needs.

Travel
Companions plan trips and outings with their clients and sometimes travel with them and their families.

Meal preparation for elderly home care patients in Santa Cruz County
Home health care agents plan, prepare, and serve meals and shop for groceries. An assistant may prepare and service meals, as appropriate, with consistency to the plan of care as outlined when service was set up. Assistants may feed patients and/or provide fluids.

Socialization for home care patients
Home care services include being a companion to the client. They read, talk to them, play cards or other games, and take the time to build a mutual friendship.

Medical assistance
Companions assist the client in the self-administration of medication. They do not administer medication but do assist the client.