Crystal Alexander, Human Resources Director for Absolute Home Care in Idaho Falls, Idaho shares some helpful information to help family members choose a caregiver for their loved one. Her advice applies to both independent caregivers and caregivers hired though a home care agency.

Caregivers with Integrity

When choosing a caregiver it is important to look for someone you really feel is trustworthy; someone who will tell you when they make a mistake or when anything goes wrong. Ask the caregiver directly how they will handle specific scenarios when things do go awry. Finally, you want someone you can trust to tell you what is really going on with your loved one in your absence.

Genuine Concern for your Loved One

Sincerely caring about the comfort and well being of others is a pre-requisite to ensuring the caregiver will be a good match for your loved one. Look for a caregiver who shows genuine interest and concern, by both asking questions about the your loved one and listening to the information you provide.

Perceptive and Intuitive, with Appropriate Boundaries

Just because you are not hiring a nurse does not mean your caregiver won’t need to detect subtle changes in your loved one’s condition. A quality caregiver will be attentive to these changes and will seek to have them addressed. At the same time they also need to know when to show restraint, for example to redirect a senior who is becoming anxious or preoccupied towards a more positive activity.

Health and Safety

Your caregiver should be current in their CPR certification. They should understand basic hygiene and infection control procedures. Ask what types of continuing education activities the caregiver engages in. Is the caregiver able to provide you with a current negative Tuberculosis screen, or doctor’s statement that they are currently clear of this disease?

Does/Is the caregiver:

• Dress neatly and appropriately?
• Wear sensible footwear?
• Keep their fingernails trimmed short? (to avoid nicking a clients sensitive skin).
• Free of strong perfumes?
• Ask about safety equipment and protocol in the home?
• Inquire about where the emergency phone numbers are kept?

A quality provider is first and foremost concerned with their client’s safety, and will ask questions to ensure they have necessary information to keep their client safe.

Sense of Humor and Positive Outlook

A caregiver who has a sense of humor and positive outlook on life is going to be uplifting to be around, and better able to handle stress. Caregivers develop close relationships with clients, so a caregiver who focusses on the positive will have a positive influence on your loved one’s well being. Look for a candidate who does not talk about their personal problems.

Caregiver Support Structure and Self-Care

Caregiving can be stressful. It is important that your caregiver have a support system of his or her own. Things to know in advance are whether the caregiver has supportive ties to the community, be it family, friends, church, school, or other involvement. You also want to look for indications that your caregiver takes good care of their personal well being. Are they well groomed? Organized? Do they seem stressed, late, or hurried?
A caregiver who is not meeting their own needs is going to be hard pressed to provide quality care to others.

Caregiver Background Screen

Your caregiver should be able to provide you with an employment history which includes current contact information for current and past employers, and you should contact each and every one. Gaps in employment should have a logical explanation.

Sometimes an employer is precluded from giving you anything more than a confirmation of dates worked, however if you explain to the employer that the applicant will be working in the home with an elderly or disabled client and you need to know if they would be considered safe you will get them to open up a bit and give you more information.

Obtaining a thorough FBI background check can provide you with critical information about a caregiver. Supplement this with a search of your state’s court repository as well as a department of motor vehicles driving record. Don’t forget to include other states the caregiver has resided in.

Remember, criminal records only reflect activity that was detected by law enforcement, so trust your instincts even in the absence of a criminal history!

Just as important as the contents of a caregivers criminal history is their truthful disclosure of anything you might find. Try to get ahold of the criminal record clearance from your local department of health and welfare; compare this to their job application. Check to see if any crimes are listed on the clearance letter and whether the caregiver disclosed those crimes at the time of their application for fingerprinting.

Be sensitive to the embarrassing nature of past criminal conduct, and allow the caregiver the opportunity to disclose any such information by asking directly about any history, what they learned from it, and how they changed as a result. Being able to learn from past mistakes is a valuable trait.

Hiring a caregiver is not the time to be shy or polite. Be prepared to ask the difficult questions. You have a right to know the answers!

If you would like assistance or more information you can always call us at 1.866.775.0028, visit our Senior Home Care Agency Directory, or fill out this simple online form. Get Help Now!

Home and Community Based Services, or HCBS, is a Colorado Medicaid program that allows eligible individuals to remain in a home setting with an array of services in place. These services promote independence at home and can delay or even take the place of the need for your loved one being institutionalized. Depending on the individual need, the HCBS waiver programs can allow for the following services:

• senior home care services
• skilled nursing visits
• C.N.A. visits
• a lifeline installation
• medical and non-medical transportation
• adult day care
• timed medication dispensers

Income & Resource Eligibility for Medicaid in Colorado

The individual income cap for an individual applying for Long Term Care Medicaid is $2,022 per month. If the individual makes more than that number an “income trust” may be set-up . This will allow individuals exceeding the state limits to still participate in the program, albeit ultimately at a greater monetary cost to them. In addition to the $2,022 per month, an individual may not have more than $2,000 in countable assets.

An important factor to consider when applying for Long term care is that only the applicant’s income is counted. This allows for a married couple to have one person apply and the individual’s, not the couples total income is counted. Additionally, that individual still needs to meet the $2000 in countable assets, but their spouse can keep up to $109,560 in countable resources.
Finally, if both spouses will be applying for Medicaid, they may have only up to $4000 in countable resources.

Functional Medicaid Eligibility in Colorado

Meeting the financial eligibility for Long Term Care Medicaid in Colorado is only the first of two steps. A functional assessment is performed by the specific county’s Single Entry Point Agency (SEPA). It is the duty of the person performing this assessment to determine whether or not there is a functional need for services to be provided. The amount of home care services, for example, will be determined by the initial assessment, and is available for review as conditions change.

How to Apply for Colorado Medicaid

Colorado Medicaid applications can be found online. Click Medicaid once the main page has appeared. Applications can then be submitted to the Department of Human/Social Services. You can also contact the local Vida office for assistance applying for Colorado Medicaid or with Senior Home Care Services in Denver at 303.252.4477.

If you would like assistance or more information you can always call us at 1.866.775.0028, visit our Senior Home Care Agency Directory, or fill out this simple online form. Get Help Now!

Anna Graefon, Client Care Manager for All Valley Senior Home Care in Escondido, California revisits a past post on the Veteran’s Aid and Attendance Pension program.

The Veteran’s Aid and Attendance Improved Pension program helps veterans and their spouses by giving them a monthly benefit to assist with their activities of daily living (ADLs) when the regular assistance of another person is required. More and more the elderly are seeking senior home care services but they can not afford the cost of being taken care of in the comfort of their own home. This benefit has been around for the past 58 years and is an entitlement to veterans and their surviving spouses.

Qualifying for Veteran’s Home Care Benefits

• Is not dependent upon service-related injuries.
• Calculate the veteran’s and/or surviving spouse’s assets (make sure not include value of their primary residence & vehicle). This will give you an estimate of total liquidatable assets. Then estimate the annual income of the veteran and/or surviving spouse. This will give an estimate for total income (If married include spousal income). Then, list all unreimbursed, recurring health care expenses. Last, subtract your total annual health care expenses from your total annual income and write the amount. This is your countable income.
• Veteran: A veteran alone must have countable income less than: $19,736 per year. 
A veteran with a spouse must have countable income less than: $23,396 per year.
• Surviving Spouse: A spouse alone must have countable income less than: $12,681 per year. A spouse with a dependent must have countable income less than: $15,128 per year.
• Discharged under “General under Honorable” or “Honorable”.
• Served at least one day during the following periods and had 90 days of continuous military service:
  • World War II: December 7, 1941 through December 31, 1946
  • Korean War: June 27, 1950 through January 31, 1955
  • Vietnam War: August 5, 1964
    (February 28, 1961, for veterans who served “in country” before August 5, 1964), through May 7, 1975
  • Gulf War: August 2, 1990, through a date to be set by law of Presidential Proclamation

Maximum Annual Aid and Attendance Pension Rate

• Veteran: $19728 annually, $1644 monthly
• Surviving Spouse: $12,660 annually, $monthly
• Veteran Married to Another Veteran: $30960 annually, $2580 monthly

*These rates increase annually

If you would like assistance or more information you can always call us at 1.866.775.0028, visit our Senior Home Care Agency Directory, or fill out this simple online form. Get Help Now!