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As a medical professional,
your care for a patient may not always end when he or
she leaves your facility. You may have the added
responsibility of referring your patient to an
extended-care facility or an in-home personal attendant.
According to an article in “Home Health Care Management
& Practice,” author Frances M. Weaver, Ph.D., says that
patients require “Recommendations for improving the
transition from hospital to home included providing more
information, more reassurance and emotional support, and
more household assistance.” |
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If your responsibility
includes improving your patient’s transition from
hospital to home, ask yourself a few questions before
making a referral:
- Is a full-service
agency providing in-home care?
- What training has
the agency provided to its personal attendants?
- What background
checks have been performed?
- Are the agency’s
personal attendants bonded, insured, and do they
have clean DMV records?
- Does the agency do
in-home assessments to ensure for accessibility,
safe transfers, and to reduce the risk of falls?
- Does the agency
perform surprise visits to ensure the highest
quality of service for my patient?
- Will there be a
trained, qualified personal attendant to take
responsibility for getting my patient home, as well
as assist with such things as prescription pick up,
meal planning and preparation, bathing assistance,
or tuck-in, if necessary?
By getting the facts about
your patient’s after-care needs and arrangements, you
can make informed and safe referrals. Many full-service
agencies provide bonded, vetted, and insured
professionals for in-home care on an hourly, daily, or
weekly basis. Since full-service agencies employ their
personal attendants, the agency alone assumes full
responsibility for workers’ compensation, professional
liability, payment of employer-related taxes, and all
other liabilities arising from the employer/employee
relationship. Your patient does not have to take on
these responsibilities and can concentrate his or her
efforts on regaining strength and becoming healthy once
again.
The professional personal attendants employed by a
full-service in-home care agency provide a variety of
services to ensure that a discharged patient will
transition comfortably and safely home. Trained in
several areas such as CPR/First Aid, healthy meal
planning and preparation, and specialized medical
conditions (such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis,
etc.), personal attendants are primed to handle your
patient’s return home safely and professionally.
You and your patient can have peace of mind knowing a
professional personal attendant will get your patient
home comfortably and safely. Many agencies also offer
free, in-home assessments, if necessary, to ensure a
safe, accessible environment. |
