We receive several calls each week from prospective private home care clients. Most of the calls are made by spouses or adult children of a loved one that has suffered a medical event and can no longer live independently.
For those making the call and arranging service there is a steep learning curve. Mostly the questions are the same: Does insurance cover this? How much does it cost? What is the difference between your company and the others I have called?
Typically the cost questions run out in front as being the most important. And there are some major disparities between what a company charges on the low end and those on the high end of the scale.
My advice to those that can afford a private caregiver or nurse in the $22/hour price range is to reorder their priorities. Put the client care and peace of mind before price. Know the difference between a caregiver service and those provided by a licensed agency. Recognize that your loved one is likely to need increasingly complex, medically inclined care as time goes on.
Hiring a non-licensed agency means that as a client's condition necessitates more highly-skilled care your agency will not be able to meet those needs and you will have to return to the marketplace and begin your search for home care anew.
Many people have been shocked to find they pay the same amount of money to a company like LivHome as you would for a licensed agency to attend to your loved one. Unfortunately most will only come to realize this after a non-licensed agency is forced to inform them that they are no longer able to care for their loved one when skilled care (as it inevitably does) becomes necessary.
Skilled or medically inclined services are different from typical non-licensed home care agency services in that the only caregivers a licensed agency like Pacifica Medical hires are those that have formal medical training and have received a diploma or certificate from an accredited school.
Caregivers that have medical training care for the client in their daily activities and provide companionship but also serve the role of advocate, coordinator and guardian to ensure the best medical care is being provided by all, including the client’s doctor. Because they have medical training, nurses and caregivers are proactive in an emergency and able reduce the chances a client will need to be hospitalized or suffer further injury.
Medically trained caregivers are able to recognize when treatment is not effective. A licensed agency like Pacifica Medical can legally provide RN's, LVN's and therapy services such as Physical Therapy in the home, so we are able to meet a client’s needs as they become more complex, and reduce trips to outpatient facilities and MD offices.
Medically trained caregivers are often referred to as a physician’s “eyes and ears”. A major contributing factor of re-hospitalization is the duration between prescribed treatment and medicine and the next MD visit. Our nurses and caregivers are able to assess a client's condition and response to medication and treatment, and speak knowledgeably when reporting client status to an attending physician.
The differences between what we do and the narrow ability of those ubiquitous non-licensed home care agencies you find on the internet cannot be understated. It's not just about value. When you hire Pacifica Medical or any reputable licensed home care agency you should expect the price of care to include smart, well-trained caregivers and nurses, quality of life and peace of mind, respect and professionalism.
Pacifica Medical Private Nursing and Home Care
