As it is in every part of our lives, technology is driving innovations in-home care – like the family portal. As a result, the family portal has become an indispensable tool for many clients and their home care agencies.
In this article, we’ll take a brief look at the family portal:
- What it is
- What it does
- What its benefits are
What Is a Family Portal?
A family portal is, first and foremost, a communications tool. It’s a secure, HIPAA-compliant online portal that enables families to be connected to other care providers for their loved ones.
Clients need clear, accurate information to be engaged with the care of a loved one. A family portal allows multiple users to interact and communicate with each other, enabling everyone providing care to know what other people have done, are doing, and need to do for their loved one.
A family portal is available for authorized users on their desktop computer, tablet, or mobile device. Users can experience real-time updates and be sure that they have the latest information on care plans, schedules, payments, medications, and more.
What Does a Home Care Family Portal Do?
The primary purpose of the family portal is to help provide the best care possible for a senior aging at home. It allows those providing care to communicate with each other and ensures that all of the client’s needs are being met.
For example, families can quickly view the entire schedule showing when caregivers will be coming to their home (daily, weekly, monthly). It includes the caregiver’s name, the date and time of the visit, and the tasks to be performed.
The family portal also contains a case history and the status of a schedule – if it’s canceled, approved, or disapproved.
What Are the Benefits of Having a Family Portal With Home Care?
A family portal provides many benefits:
- If family members live out of town, a family portal provides transparency in the care their loved one is receiving, which provides peace of mind. The portal allows users to see when their loved one was last visited, what transpired, when the next visit will be, medications, invoices, and more.
- For those families paying privately, they can quickly find out their spending history, invoices, approved hours, and make payments.
- The family portal keeps everyone updated on the latest care provided for a family’s loved one. When the caregiver clocks out, voice notes and completed tasks are updated and sent to the agency’s care coordinator and the portal.
- Family portals let families email the agency they’re working with. They can tell the agency about changing care needs and provide updated documents. Care contracts, medication files, medical records, and emails can be sent from the family to the agency, giving everyone the most updated information.
We’re Always Looking to Improve How We Care
Assisting Hands Home Care of Boston Northwest provides families living in Bedford, Winchester, and Concord Massachusetts professional in-home health care services they can trust. Our compassionate caregivers are carefully screened and thoroughly trained and are helping families in many communities in Boston Northwest.
Call us today at 781-209-6233 to schedule your free consultation. We look forward to visiting with you and serving your loved one.
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