3 Important Questions To Ask Your Home Care Agency

Home care nursing services are available to those who may need extra help at home, such as when recovering from surgery or managing a long-term illness. It’s important to ask the right questions so that you can ensure help that improves your quality of life.

Below we share three important questions that we recommend asking your home care agency. This will help get the conversation started and put your mind at ease when bringing someone new into the home.

1. What criteria do you use to choose a nursing agency?

Many home health agencies have a handful of qualified staff, however, the best approach is to match qualified caregivers to patients.

For example, if you need help at home with wound care, you should be assigned a nurse who is trained specifically for wound management and ensure that the nurse is comfortable changing bandages and improving healing outcomes.

2. What happens if my nurse is sick or on vacation?

Things happen. Even the most reliable nurses get sick or have emergency situations. You shouldn’t have to suffer if your usual nurse is unable to make it. Quality backup care should be available 24 hours a day.

Ask the home care agency how they handle these types of situations and if they have a large pool of skilled nurses to pull from. This is especially important for those with dementia who cannot be left alone and may have trouble adjusting to new faces.

3. Can you work with others on my health care team?

Collaborative care is always the best. Choose a home health agency that is happy to work with your care team, including doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, and other health care professionals. Even though home health care can be used long-term, the goal is to treat an injury or illness and help patients regain their independence. This is made easier and more effective when the caregiver communicates with others on the care team.

Skilled home care helps patients recover faster from an illness or surgery while helping them regain their independence. To ensure that you are getting the most from your home care agency, be sure to ask the right questions. The more involved you are, the more aware and in control you will be.

VNA Health Group offers skilled home health services in the comfort of home. Patients receive care from skilled, registered nurses and a team of clinicians. Contact us today to learn more about our home care services.