Deciding to get home care for yourself or someone you care about can be a difficult one. Bringing someone into your home to help, whether for child care, general senior care, or home health care, can feel like giving up control. It’s also challenging to find someone you trust to be in your home.

Some people may need generalized home care. According to AARP, you may start looking into home care when your loved one has started leaving the stove on or stopped doing things like taking care of their hygiene or nutrition. According to CARP, many Canadians are not getting they care they need. In Canada most home and community care services are delivered by provincial or territorial governments.

Other people may need specialized in-home health care – someone who comes into the home to help care for someone who cannot get to the doctor or other health facilities for services. This may be 24-hour-a-day care or intermittent care for physical therapy, occupational therapy, or other tasks related to health care. This care includes help after an accident, illness, chronic health issues, or end-of-life hospice care.

Anybody can say they are a home health care provider, but when you bring someone into your home, you want to be sure they are qualified and trustworthy. One way to help you feel confident in the person you choose is to go through a Home Health Agency (HHA) that screens and checks the backgrounds of potential caregivers.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an HHA is an agency or organization primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing and other therapeutic services. These agencies have services supervised by a physician or nurse, maintain patient records, and are licensed by the state or other local laws. They also meet federal requirements related to the health and safety of their clients.

Getting personalized in-home care can be an expensive decision. You should first check with your insurance to see what they do and don’t cover. In the U.S., Medicare also covers some types of home health care (geared toward helping people get better and become self-sufficient), with specific eligibility spelled out. Be sure your situation meets the eligibility requirements, or you may end up paying for the care yourself.

Beyond the qualifications and licenses, it’s essential for any care provider in your home to be trustworthy and get along with the person in charge. When possible, interview the care provider before hiring them. If you are going through an agency and can’t interview the individual caregiver, be sure there is a way to provide feedback and request a new caregiver if necessary.

Some things you’ll want to ask an HHA you are considering (Medicare.gov has a checklist):

Are you Medicare/Medicaid certified?
What specific services do you provide?
What languages do your providers speak?
Are staff available at night and on weekends for emergencies?
What does my insurance cover, and what do I have to pay out-of-pocket?
Do you have testimonials about your care?

Be sure to review BBB’s resources for older adults for more information to help you with the older adults in your life.

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