What Is Home Care? | Selecting A Home Care Provider | What Our Patients Say

Home Care is a way of providing healthcare services and supplies to a person in the comfort of their home. This care involves the patient, family members, the physician and other healthcare professionals.

Who Needs Home Care?

Home Care is available to anyone from birth to End-of-Life, including those:

• Who have recently been discharged from the hospital, nursing home or rehabilitation facility.
• Who choose to stay at home instead of an assisted living facility, nursing home, or rehabilitation facility.
• Who have chronic health problems, multiple health problems or who are disabled.
• Who need physical, occupational or speech therapy.
• Who have a terminal illness and wish to spend their final days at home.
• Who wish to have additional services provided while living in an assisted living facility or nursing home.
• Who is experiencing a high-risk pregnancy or who has a child with serious healthcare needs.
• Who are enrolled in a special maternity program.

What Are The Benefits Of Home Care?

• Improves the health and quality of life for the patient and their family.
• Reduces the need for hospitalization, nursing home or other institutional placement.
• Provides support and training for caregivers.
• Reduces emergency room visits.
• Allows those with a life-limiting illness to die at home in comfort and with dignity.
• Enhances optimal growth and development of infants and children.

How Can I Afford Home Care?

Most Home Care services are paid by insurance companies such as Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurances. Susquehanna Home Care & Hospice will work closely with you to determine eligibility and assist with alternative sources of payment if no insurance coverage exists. Thanks to generous donations from the community, we also offer Home Care to individuals who have limited resources.

Who Provides Homecare Services?

A Team of Homecare Specialists is available 24 hours a day and will assess you or your loved one to determine their homecare needs.

• Skilled Nurses.
• Home Health Aides.
• Physical, Occupational, or Speech Therapists.
• Medical Social Workers.
• Other healthcare professionals from Susquehanna Health including physicians, pharmacists, therapists, dieticians, chaplains and volunteers.

Our team of specialists is here to help you! Please call us at 570-320-7690 or 1-800-848-2213 for more information on our services.

Once you acquire the names of several providers, you will want to learn more about their services and reputations. The following is a checklist of questions to ask providers and other individuals who may know about the provider's track record. Their insight will help you determine which provider is best for you or your loved one.

• How long has this provider been serving the community?.
• Does this provider supply literature explaining its services, eligibility requirements, fees, and funding sources? Many providers furnish patients with a detailed "Patient Bill of Rights" that outlines the rights and responsibilities of the providers, patients, and caregivers alike. An annual report and other educational materials also can provide helpful information about the provider.
• How does this provider select and train its employees? Does it protect its workers with written personnel policies, benefits packages, and malpractice insurance?.
• Are nurses or therapists required to evaluate the patient's home care needs? If so, what does this entail? Do they consult the patient's physicians and family members?.
• Does this provider include the patient and his or her family members in developing the plan of care? Are they involved in making care plan changes?.
• Is the patient's course of treatment documented, detailing the specific tasks to be carried out by each professional caregiver? Does the patient and his or her family receive a copy of this plan, and do the caregivers update it as changes occur? Does this provider take time to educate family members on the care being administered to the patient?.
• Does this provider assign supervisors to oversee the quality of care patients are receiving in their homes? If so, how often do these individuals make visits? Who can the patient and his or her family members call with questions or complaints? How does the agency follow up on and resolve problems?.
• What are the financial procedures of this provider? Does the provider furnish written statements explaining all of the costs and payment plan options associated with home care?.
• What procedures does this provider have in place to handle emergencies? Are its caregivers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?.
• How does this provider ensure patient confidentiality?.

Ask to view the provider's privacy policy and practices. In addition, ask the home care provider to supply you with a list of references, such as doctors, discharge planners and community leaders who are familiar with the provider's quality of service.

Contact each reference and ask:

• Do you frequently refer clients to this provider?.
• Do you have a contractual relationship with this provider? If so, do you require the provider to meet special standards for quality care?.
• What sort of feedback have you gotten from patients receiving care from this provider, either on an informal basis or through a formal satisfaction survey?.

"Thanks so much for all your caring & kindness over the past few months. You have been a Godsend & we are so grateful to get to know all of you. You are a wonderful group of people dedicated to helping others."

"We truly appreciated the care that you gave to our Dad the last two years. Thank you for being such a caring and understanding staff."

"Everybody was just wonderful. I received the best care. Any questions I had were always answered."

"The staff was great, I loved having them come. Now it is very quiet here and I miss them."

"I was treated with respect. All the staff was timely and efficient. Excellent Job!"

"I had two of the nicest ladies anyone could want. They were efficient as well as friendly and pleasant. It was a pleasure being cared for by them.

"Very professional, knowledgeable staff."

"We certainly did appreciate all of your help as well as the good advice you have given us."

"The services I received were excellent and delivered by a highly effective staff. Thank you for providing our community with this level of quality in-home care! Everyone I met was exceptional!"

"Without your home care team, I would not be back up on my feet (with a walker) at 93. Thanks."

"I was very satisfied with the service I received! I would recommend it to other people."

"Wonderful people and they know their jobs. Thank you."

"Thank you for your concern and help-we appreciate it very much-Excellent staff!!"

"Since they stopped coming it seems like losing a friend. Keep up the good work!"

"Angel on Wheels!"

"I am feeling much better, more so every day. I thank all the people I came in contact with. Everyone did a very good job. Thanks again."

"Friendliness, Caring, Professional-all were very evident in my wife's care from Susquehanna Home Care & Hospice."

"Your staff could not have been nicer to me. They made me feel very special. You could tell that they really cared."

"Everyone was most congenial, and I learned many things from them to help myself."

"We can't thank you enough for the wonderful care that you gave our son. We certainly couldn't have done it without your help. You kept us all very strong. We appreciate all that you have done for us."