Home Care 101
Selecting a Quality Home Care Provider
Many clients and their family members come to us as a result of a healthcare crisis. Securing the right care when faced with a new diagnosis or new decisions about lifestyle that need to be made can be overwhelming. A-Abiding CARE, Inc. is committed to providing compassionate caregivers and personalized solutions.
Maybe you’ve watched a friend or family member go through this kind of health care situation.
Maybe you’ve decided you want to plan ahead and take your time making choices because when it comes to home health care, assisted living or nursing home care – these are important decisions that have great impact on quality of life and lifestyle.
We welcome callers who are doing their home care research for themselves or a loved one. We will work with you to secure care that meets your needs and we will also support you with resources and practical advice during this process.
“Home Care” is a broad term used to describe services at a place of residence to recovering, disabled, chronically or terminally ill individuals in need of medical, nursing or therapeutic services or in need of assistance with basic activities of daily living.
Home care is an appropriate choice for individuals who prefer to remain in their own residence but need ongoing support that cannot be provided solely by friends and family. Senior adults receive home care services due to a decrease in their physical and or cognitive capabilities. Younger adults utilize home care services if they are disabled, have a long term illness or are recuperating from surgery, acute illness or injury.
As hospital inpatient stays become shorter and shorter, many individuals require assistance in making the transition from Hospital to Home with care that can include; medication management, meal preparation and overall assistance with activities of daily living and safety.
Our years of experience, our best practices of care, our nurses, staff and caregivers all come together in a team-approach to care, successfully serving clients for over a quarter of a century. Our administrative team alone has over 200 years of collective wisdom and experience in healthcare all directed towards our priority – our clients.
One of the most important first questions to ask any agency when you are inquiring about care:
“Are you licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health?”
This is not just a business license. Rather it is a very specific license that is granted by the regulatory body – the IL Department of Public Health – that is charged with oversight of health care providers in IL. Licensed agencies must complete a renewal process annually and show they are adhering to a very specific set of administrative rules and regulations for providing care that are set forth by the State.
You can verify an agency’s licensure by checking the IDPH website at http://www.idph.state.il.us or by calling 217-782-7412.
A-Abiding CARE, Inc. has been continuously licensed by the IDPH since 1995; currently holding both a Home Nursing and a Home Services license.
Knowing there are many choices when it comes to private duty home care options, deciding which one is right for you and accepting the need for care can be a difficult decision. It’s important to understand levels of care and what liability and risk exposure you may take on when choosing care. Our goal is to eliminate fear, overwhelm and stress by providing information, based on experience and integrity, that focuses on what to expect and what a good care experience, and a reputable Agency, can offer.
We offer the following descriptions of the differences to be considered in the options available.
Full-Service Licensed Agencies
Agency Responsibilities Include:
- Hiring, training, employment and supervision of their caregivers
- Criminal background checks as required by Illinois law
- Eight (8) hours of ongoing training each year
- Payroll taxes, social security, unemployment and worker’s compensation insurance
- Liability Insurance
- Issue W-2 forms
- Monitors and manages the schedules of the caregivers and staff changes and secures replacement/additional staff when needed
- Communication with client/family/doctor
- Ongoing Case management
- Supervision of the caregiving staff
- 24/7 availability; On-Call and Nursing staff
Client Responsibilities:
- Payment of services to the agency
- Placement/Employment Agencies/Registries
These agencies place caregivers with clients for a placement fee. They DO NOT pay employer/employee payroll taxes or worker’s compensation insurance because caregivers are not employees of the agency. Caregivers are independent contractors. In the event of an on the job injury or accident; caregivers are not covered under the agencies insurance policy and also are not covered under the client’s homeowners insurance policy – leaving the client in a legally and financially vulnerable situation.
Placement Agency Responsibilities Include:
- Train, screen and interview prospective caregivers
- Collect finder’s fee
Client Responsibilities:
- Client/family assumes all liability and risk in the event of an on the job accident or injury.
- Payroll requirements; taking out appropriate payroll taxes, Social Security
- Payment of negotiated salary to caregiver
- Criminal background screening
- Finding another caregiver when caregiver cannot make it; scheduling and scheduling changes
- Monitoring and supervision
Private Hire of an Independent Contractor
When a client hires an individual privately, they are solely responsible for screening, reference checks, criminal background checks, negotiating terms of employment and payment. The client or family becomes a Household Employer and is required to register with the IRS. Clients must withhold Federal and State Income Taxes, withhold and match Social Security and Medicare taxes and contribute to the Federal and State Unemployment Insurance fund.
In the event of performance issues, illness or injury, the hiring process will need to be started again. If a caregiver is injured, the caregiver can sue client personally for damages and medical treatment.