<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=46vLET_1Gubvgf400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=46vLET_1Gubvgf400" width="1762" height="1176" ><figcaption>Photo / Kampus Production / Pexles</figcaption></figure>Finding a long-term home care provider for a loved one can be a challenging and emotional decision for a family. Creating a home care plan before the need is immediate can make the process far less stressful.Gabriel Malik is co-owner, with his mother, Jamie Berns, of Senior Solutions in Beachwood, a family-owned, private-pay, non-medical home care agency serving Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Malik described a care plan as a “roadmap for someone’s day.”“It spells out what help a person needs, whether that’s bathing and dressing, meals, medication reminders, errands, rides to appointments, or simply companionship,” Malik explained. “We make a point of hearing from both the client and their loved ones, because they often see things a little differently and the best plan reflects both.”From there, Malik said, the care agency’s job is to find the caregiver that best fits the client’s needs, based upon the information they and the family have provided.Plans differ in a number of ways, Malik said, primarily as non-medical or skilled care.“Skilled home health means nurses or therapists, it’s ordered by a doctor and it’s usually short-term after a hospital stay,” he said. “Non-medical care, which is what we provide, helps with everyday living and is often something families need for the long haul.”Malik added that non-medical and skilled care “work best when they’re talking to each other, and the first few weeks home are when that coordination matters most.”“When someone is coming home from the hospital or working with a physical therapist, we always reach out to that care team for their input,” he said. “The discharge planner, therapist, or nurse knows things a family might not, like how much help someone needs getting in and out of bed or the shower, whether they’re at risk of falling, what restrictions they’re under and what warning signs to watch for.”Malik said this shapes the overall plan and helps home-care agencies choose a caregiver who’s comfortable providing that level of support.“It also means our caregiver is supporting what the therapist is working on instead of working against it,” he added.Payment options vary as well.“One of the most common misconceptions we hear is that Medicare will cover it,” Malik said. “Medicare generally doesn’t pay for ongoing non-medical care, so most families pay privately, sometimes with help from long-term care insurance, VA benefits, or Medicaid waiver programs like Ohio’s PASSPORT program. That’s much easier to sort out before care is needed than in the middle of a crisis.”When families are talking to a home-care agency, Malik said it is most important to ask how caregivers are found and vetted.“You’re inviting someone into your parent’s home, and that should matter more than anything on the price sheet,” he said. “We hire only through referrals from our existing caregivers, and every hire goes through an interview and has to pass a BCI and FBI background check.”Malik also suggested that families should ask how the agency matches a caregiver to their loved one, whether the agency will coordinate with doctors and therapists, whether the same caregiver will come each visit, what happens if that caregiver is sick, how often the plan gets revisited and who to call if issues arise.“They should get clear answers on pricing too, including hourly rates, minimum shift lengths, and cancellation terms,” he said. “And culture and faith shouldn’t be an afterthought. If Mom keeps a kosher kitchen or Shabbat matters to Dad, that belongs in the plan from day one.”Malik said families should also “start the conversation early.”“Most families call us after a fall or a hospital stay, when everyone is scrambling,” he said. “A few hours a week of help early on can keep someone safer and more independent for a lot longer.”Brian Lisik is a freelance journalist.</div></body>

Block Source: Cleveland Jewish News

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Finding a long-term home care provider for a loved one can be a challenging and emotional decision for a family. Creating a home care plan before the need is immediate can make the process far less stressful. Gabriel Malik is co-owner, with his mother, Jamie Berns, of Senior Solutions in...

Reduce stress with home-care plan in place

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Finding a long-term home care provider for a loved one can be a challenging and emotional decision for a family. Creating a home care plan before the need 

Reduce stress with home-care plan in place

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