Hiring a home health aide for yourself or a loved one is an important task. A good health aide can benefit a person's health, quality of life and comfort. Learn the key questions to ask to find a health aide that's a good fit for your family.Care Needs What type of care is needed? How much time is required?To figure out the answers to these questions, make a list of the support youll need from the following areas. Make sure to include a time estimate for how long each action will take:Health care. This can include medication adherence, dementia care, wound care, and use of specialized medical equipment, such as a Hoyer lift.Personal care. This entails bathing, washing hair or getting dressed. Household chores, including housecleaning, yard work or laundry. Meal preparation and coordination. This may involve nutrition monitoring, coordinating meal delivery, grocery shopping, preparing meals or participating in meals at a senior center. Socialization activities. These may include playing games with the senior at home or helping them get to church or a senior center.Money management. Handling finances may involve using a geriatric care manager to help with bill payment, hiring a financial counselor or offering help to avoid scammers.If your doctor recommends specific types of support, make sure to get all suggestions in writing. This can help both you and the health aide understand what care is needed.Paying for CareHow much will it cost? How will it be paid?You may need to pay for a home health aide out of pocket, or some care could be covered by Medicare, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or other health insurance. Keep in mind that paying for home health aide services out of pocket at home could cost less than moving into an independent living, assisted living or long-term care facility. Specific costs depend on the level of care and amount of time needed. Some agencies may require that home health aides work a minimum of four-hour shifts, or they may charge more for two-hour shifts. Other agencies may charge you a flat fee for the day instead of an hourly rate.To learn if you qualify for any financial assistance, check outBenefits.gov, BenefitsCheckUp orwww.va.gov.Finding Qualified CareShould I find a home health aide on my own or use an agency? Will the home health aide take on housework or socialization responsibilities, or would a housekeeper or companionship service be more cost effective?Hiring a home health aide on your own means youll need to manage payroll, tax liabilities and human resource issues, including background checks. To do a background check, you will need the home health aides full name, address, phone number, social security number and current photo identification. Youll also need to learn if the home health aide is up to date on tuberculosis tests and immunizations.If you go through an agency to hire a home health aide, it can do most of the legwork for you. Ask agencies to provide their current company records on personal insurance, bonding, workers compensation and references from past clients or employers.Whether you hire privately or through an agency, ask about their home health aides certifications, training, preferences and expectations. Are they skilled in dementia care or CPR certified? What is their work experience? Determine if their personality works with the seniors personality. Ask if they have similar faith values, and if they are okay with pets in the home. What hours or days can they work and what hourly rate is expected? How would they like to receive feedback or suggestions? If you need home health care after a hospital stay, a discharge planner may help you with arrangements.

You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. Dame Cicely Saunders, Founder of the Hospice Movement. While the number of Americans receiving hospice care grows each year, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) estimates that for every patient who receives hospice, there is at least one more that could have benefitted from the comprehensive services for the patient and family but did not receive this specialized care. Hospice workers hear over and over from those they serve, I wished we'd signed up sooner. Studies show that patients under Hospice care actually live on average, 27 days longer than patients with similar ailments who are not under Hospice care. Hospice is a philosophy of care, not a place. At the center of hospice care, is the belief that we all have the right to die with comfort and dignity, and that our loved ones will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so. Hospice services are available to patients facing a life limiting illness. Services are fully covered under Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs and other managed care organizations. Hospice involves a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain and symptom management, and emotional and spiritual support tailored to the wishes of the patient and family. Hospice care is delivered where the patient is. Most often, that is the patient's home, but may also be provided in facilities. The hospice benefit is being underutilized. There is an understandable reluctance to contemplate end of life. For some, they view it as giving up hope. Perhaps, there is no longer hope for the condition, but the patient might still hope to accomplish a meaningful event or activity. The team works with the patient and family to achieve these goals. When facing end of life, we encourage you to look at the H word not just as hospice, but also for the help that can be provided to the patient and their family through comfort, care, and choice. Editor's Note: This article written by Jody Tomberlin, MSW at Interim Healthcare Hospice. Jody, and the Interim Healthcare Hospice team, can be reached at (719) 314- 4868