Home care incorporates a wide range of services delivered by trained, licensed professionals in a patient’s home.
It is customized to what the patient’s needs are and the physician’s orders post-hospitalization or upon discharge from a rehabilitation facility. Assisting Hands Caregivers, or “certified home health aides”, provide one-on-one care for patients that is focused on safety at home, activities of daily living and quality of life. They are supervised by our director of nursing.
Numerous types of care are available, and all can work together to provide the maximum benefit to the patient and best outcomes while the patient is safe in the comfort of their own home.
- Certified Home Health Aides (CHHAs) are trained and licensed to provide personal care, assisting with activities of daily living, medication reminders, run errands, prepare meals, do light housekeeping tasks and provide companionship. Professional caregivers are licensed by the New Jersey Board of Nursing after 76 hours of education that is a combination of classroom and clinical training. The Board of Nursing also conducts intensive fingerprint criminal background checks and the license must be renewed every two years. Caregivers are all bonded and insured when working through an agency and the care they provide is supervised by a director of nursing, who is also a registered nurse. Caregivers are available to assist with numerous activities for several hours a day, overnight shifts , to 24-hour live-in. Assisting Hands Home Care provides CHHAs to all clients.
- Hourly aides are available with a minimum of 4-hours of care (you'd be surprised how quickly this time goes with quality personal care, light housekeeping, laundry and meal prep or errands).
- Live-in aides have a 13-hour per day work schedule. This allows time for rest/sleep, meals and breaks that are required by the Department of Labor. Additional care may require additional charges.
- Registered Nurses (RNs) have additional education and licensure than LPNs and provide skilled medical services beyond those that home health aides, CNAs and LPNs offer. While Assisting Hands Serving Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties does not offer medical services, Miriam "Mimi" Barroso, RN, BSN, is our on-staff, full-time director of nursing. She oversees our CHHAs in the field, monitors each patient’s plan of care and is available as a resource for families.
Other professionals in the patient care area include:
- Certified Nursing Aides (CNAs) are health aides who have received more specialized training and are working in facilities. In New Jersey, CNA’s are not allowed to do in-home care.
- Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) perform some skilled medical tasks such as taking vital signs, collecting samples, administering medication, ensuring patient comfort, and reporting the status of their patients to the nurses and doctors. They work in facilities and medical office settings.
- Social Workers offer assessments, advice and counseling to boost the mental health of family caregivers and their loved ones. Social workers will coordinate discharge plans at hospitals and rehabilitation facilities to ensure patients go home with services and medical equipment that the doctor prescribes.
- Rehabilitation Services such as physical therapy and occupational therapy provide care in the home to help maximize the patient’s quality of life, independence, and safety, and to restore the patient to the highest level of function possible.
Durable medical equipment companies provide home care equipment, such as oxygen delivery systems, wheelchairs, walkers, and hospital beds. They can also furnish wound care dressings, incontinence aids, and other products and supplies like grab bars, showerheads, and shower chairs to ensure safety in the home.
Next: Take our Care Quiz to help you make a decision, or even begin the conversation with your loved ones.
