In home care comes in many forms. It can range from simple Companion In Home Care to Skilled Nursing In Home Care. It can also be requested for a couple of hours a week up to Live In Home Care or 24 Hour In Home Care. So, when it comes to In Home Care in New Jersey for your loved one, there are several things to understand and to consider.
First you should understand the difference in levels of service among Companion In Home Care, Personal In Home Care and Skilled Nursing In Home Care.
Companion In Home Care
Companion In Home Care provides assistance with activities of daily living such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, linens, medication reminders, errands, client engagement activities, and more. Companion In Home Care does not require the caregiver to be Certified Home Health Aides in New Jersey as long as none of the activities involve physical contact with the client.
Personal In Home Care
Personal In Home Care generally provides all of the services of Companion Care with activities that may involve physical contact with the client including assistance with, walking, transferring, bathing, grooming, toileting, dressing, eating, and more. Personal In Home Care in New Jersey requires caregivers to be Certified Home Health Aides through the New Jersey Board of Nursing.
Skilled Nursing In Home Care
Skilled Nursing In Home Care provides medical treatment for wounds, medication administration, health assessments, vital sign monitoring, glucose monitoring, IV management, urinary catheter management, tube/drain/bag management, and more. It may or may not include personal or companion In Home care services
The next step is to understand the definitions associated among Hourly In Home Care, Live In Home Care, and 24 Hour In Home Care.
Hourly In Home Care
Hourly In Home care is fairly straight forward. You would simply arrange for coverage by the days and number of hours of In Home Care you require. (i.e. Monday and Thursday from 11 – 3, or 7 days a week from 8 – 5, etc). In Home Care Agencies typically charge an hourly rate for this service.
Live In Home Care
Live In Home Care involves having a caregiver reside at the client’s home for the duration of the In Home care assignment. Caregivers are required by law to get a minimum of 8 hours off per calendar day and to get a minimum of 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep per day. In Home Care Agencies typically charge a flat fee per day for Live In Home Care and should tell you how many “Working Hours” you are entitled to per day. Many companies assume a daily number of “Working Hours” for Live In Home Care between 10 to 16 hours per day. There may be an hourly charge for any “Working Hours” within a given day that are in excess of the assumed hours established by the In Home Care Agency.
24 Hour In Home Care
24 Hour In Home Care involves round the clock service for clients. In Home Care Agencies typically charge an hourly rate for this service. Caregiver staffing for 24 hour In Home care usually involves multiple caregivers working in shifts of 4, 6, 8, 12 or other hourly durations based on the client’s needs, preferences and overtime pay implications. There can be breaks for the caregiver depending on the client needs and the plan of care requirements. However, the caregivers do not typically reside at the client’s home.
Regardless of the type or duration of In Home Care, you should also consider whether the Caregiver is a W-2 employee of the agency, or a 1099 agency contractor, or an independent employee.
Assisting Hands® Home Care is a full service In Home Care agency which screens, hires and trains its employees ensuring that you will have quality, reliable In Home Care that you can trust. Assisting Hands Caregivers are W-2 employees not 1099 employees or independent employee. When you hire an agency who’s Caregivers are 1099 contractors, or if you hire an independent employee, many of the liabilities and employee responsibilities shift to you, the client. You become the employer and you can be fully responsible for the Caregiver/employee and the associated workplace liabilities. Assisting Hands provides the following to help ensure that you get the protection you need and the In Home Care that you deserve.
- Assisting Hands is a Licensed Health Care Services Firm in New Jersey (#HP0240400)
- Caregivers are trained and then certified by the New Jersey Board of Nursing as Home Health Aides
- Caregivers must meet the following criteria
- Possess a current Home Health Aide Certificate
- Pass a Background Check
- Pass a Drug Test
- Pass a DMV Check (for Caregivers that will be transporting clients)
- Pass a Doctor physical
- Show proof of immunity to measles, mumps and rubella
- Show proof of a negative TB test or produce a chest x-ray
- Complete Assisting Hands training and pass our testing process
- Pass a job history verification
- Pass a reference screening process
- Pass our interview process
- Pass Skills testing and approval by one of our Nurses
- Caregivers that meet our criteria will be Insured and Bonded
- General Liability Insurance
- Professional Liability Insurance
- Workman’s Compensation Insurance
- Unemployment Insurance
- Crime/Theft Insurance
- Caregiver’s will also have Social Security & Federal Taxes deducted from their paychecks
- Caregivers will receive supervision by one of our Nurses
- Assisting Hands can arrange for back up coverage in the event that a Caregiver is unavailable for a scheduled appointment with a Client
When considering hiring someone to take care of your loved one, you can use the above list as a guide to determine what protections you would be receiving from your prospective In Home Care provider.
If you are seeking In Home Care in Ocean County or In Home Care in Burlington County please call for a no cost or obligation consultation at (732)908-2020 or visit us on-line at AssistingHands.com/OceanCounty.
