When you have an elderly parent who continues to live in his or her own home but is increasingly in need of in-home care, it's not always possible for you to address this need. As such, it's useful to think about hiring a home health aide to visit your parent weekly or daily. You can benefit from asking any friends or colleagues who have been in this situation to provide recommendations about the agencies they've used, and then call each agency to find out if it's the right one for your parent's needs. It's advisable to include these three questions in this conversation to help you assess which agency you should hire.

How Is The Turnover Among Your Staff?

The degree of staff turnover at a home health agency can be indicative of the quality of business. While there's nothing wrong with aides seeking new employment from time to time, it's ideal to hear about an aide staff with a high degree of tenure. This means that your parent will likely be able to establish a relationship with the home aide without a serious concern that he or she will leave the position soon. The ability to build such relationships is often ideal for people with dementia, as seeing a familiar face can have a calming effect.

What's Your Policy For Handling Medical Emergencies?

You need to know that your parent will be in capable hands, so it's important to ask about the health agency's emergency management protocol. Reputable agencies will ensure that all their aides are highly trained in first aid, but there should also be a plan beyond simply helping up a patient who has fallen, for example. You want to hear about a detailed plan to help the patient, summon the necessary authorities, get in touch with you or another family contact and, in serious cases, call on an agency supervisor to help manage the situation.

What Services Don't You Provide?

You'll likely be interested in obtaining a list of all the services that the agency's aides will provide your parent, but it's also valuable to ensure that you're clear about what services are not provided. Knowing this information can help you pick the agency that provides the greatest range of services or simply understand that you'll need to perform certain duties. For example, if an aide will provide several different health-related services but will not cook meals, you'll need a plan for ensuring that your parent gets fed.

For home health care, contact a company such as Catawba County Home Health Agency.

Share