OUR SERVICESTo locate a home care worker, you have several options:
- a home health care agency
- Jewish Home Lifecare’s licensed home health agency is Home Assistance Personnel Inc. HAPI first sends a nurse to perform an assessment of the elder, then creates a care plan and supervises the home health care worker on an ongoing basis. You can contact HAPI by phone at (718) 367-1311 or by e-mail at rwhitfield@jhha.org.
- Jewish Home Lifecare also offers Home Care programs for those who need other services, such as nursing or rehabilitation therapy, as well as home care. To find out more, contact (718) 367-1125 in the Bronx or (212) 273-2500 in Manhattan.
- Additionally, the Yellow Pages lists numerous agencies under “Home Health Care Services”.
- Jewish Home Lifecare’s licensed home health agency is Home Assistance Personnel Inc. HAPI first sends a nurse to perform an assessment of the elder, then creates a care plan and supervises the home health care worker on an ongoing basis. You can contact HAPI by phone at (718) 367-1311 or by e-mail at rwhitfield@jhha.org.
- a referral agency
- The Yellow Pages lists referral agencies that can help locate a home care worker, for a fee.
Is it OK to hire a private home care worker who isn’t affiliated with an agency?
Sometimes people prefer to hire a home care worker based on a friend’s recommendation. However, if the home care worker does not work through a licensed and bonded home health agency, there are no guarantees that the worker is trained. There is also no system for doing background checks or providing back-up coverage when a worker is unavailable. Agencies are often able to provide a replacement if a scheduled home care worker is not able to show up.
Hiring help through personal referrals can be less expensive than hiring through an agency. However, then you are responsible for following the tax regulations for paying an employee if you hire a worker directly.
I’ve heard that home care workers may take advantage of elders they are caring for. Is this true?
This type of abuse is rare but unfortunately, does happen. However, there are things you can do to protect against it.
- Hire a home care worker from an insured and bonded, licensed home care service agency offers the reassurance that the worker is screened and trained.
- Evaluate the worker on an ongoing basis, or make sure the agency does.
- Provide the worker with a written, detailed care plan or be in contact with the home care agency employees who provide the plan.
- Ask the home care worker for a verbal report on how the week went and what was accomplished.
- The elder receiving care should have the opportunity to talk privately about the care with someone trusted, on a regular basis. Is the care recipient satisfied with daily interactions? Is he/she comfortable around the worker?