Finding The Best Home Care Agency

The best home care agencies provide services that sets them apart from other home care agencies. This is a list of best practices and qualities that professional agencies exemplify on a daily basis that set them apart.

Unique HomeCare Services

Staff Screening

Thorough screening of staff is essential to protecting your loved ones. The best agencies will screen staff with background checks and a thorough check of all work and personal references. This ensures that each employee has impeccable references and a history of reliability and treating people with dignity and respect. Candidates also undergo a thorough interview process to make sure that each employee has the requisite skills, education, and attitude necessary to provide the most competent, compassionate, and caring services available.

Staff Experience

The best home care agencies recruit staff with the most experience providing home care services. They make sure their staff had the proper credentials and the programs they graduated from are accredited programs. They also take the time to work with the staff in the home, for a period of time, to make sure that they deliver the services in a competent, and caring way, and to make sure that the patient feels comfortable with the care provider.

Flexibility

The best home care agency recruit staff that can be flexible with their hours. Thus, when a client requires additional care, the staff can accommodate their increased need. The agency also needs sufficient backup staff that can meet any increased care needs including nights and weekend.

They Care

The best home care agencies recruit the type of caregiver that they would want to care for their own parents. They look for staff with a positive, cooperative attitude. The correct attitude and values need come from the top down in the company. They understand that caring for someone means treating them as a human being first and is of the utmost importance. They understand that respecting people shows that you care.

About Unique HomeCare Services

Unique HomeCare Services provides in-home care for elders and people who are recuperating from illness, injury, or surgery.

We offer a full range of in-home care services such as personal care, grooming and incontinence care, bathing and dressing, post-hospitalization care, Alzheimer’s and Dementia care, and medication management.

We also provide non-medical support services such as meal planning and preparation, light housekeeping, caring companionship, shopping/errands, accompanying to medical and other appointments, as well as case management services.

Our services are available for long-term and short-term care needs from as little as a one 4 hour day visit a week to 24 Hour and Live-In Care.

We also offer Respite Care services to assist family caregivers going away or with caregiver fatigue.

It is our pleasure to assist our veteran clients with VA Aid and Attendance Benefit approval at no cost.

We have an extensive Directory of Online Senior and Caregiver Resources for the information you need.

Our service area is Boston, Norwood, Dedham, Westwood, Walpole, Canton, Sharon, Stoughton, Avon, Braintree, Easton, Milton, Quincy, Weymouth, and surrounding towns.

To schedule a no cost and no obligation full In-Home Assessment to determine the home care needs of you or your loved one please call us at (800) 296-9962 to speak to a Case Manager or fill out our Free Quote Contact Form.

 

Options When 24 Hour Care Is Needed

The advantages of 24 hour in-home care or Live-in home care over an assisted living facility or nursing home are lower costs, one-on-one-care versus shared care, and the ability of the person to stay in their home.

24 HOUR CARE

24 Hour Care

Typically 24 hour care is given by two caregivers who are scheduled daily and each working one 12 hour shift. In many cases, it makes more sense for medical or other reasons if there are 3 caregivers who each work an 8-hour shift.

These shifts do not involve a caregiver sleeping in the home to provide care. With 12 hour shifts, the caregivers usually work no more than 4 times per week.

24 hour care is billed at an hourly rate.

Advantages of 24 Hour Care

With 24 hour care, a caregiver will be with your loved one at all times, day or night.

The caregivers are awake all night and day to ensure that your loved one has someone there to give care 24 hours a day.

Many people prefer this option, especially if your loved one has a condition in which they wander or need care at all hours of the day or night.  24 hour care allows caregivers to be more alert because they are replaced with another fresh caregiver every 8 or 12 hours.

Disadvantages of 24 Hour Care

The disadvantage of 24 hour care is the higher cost versus Live-in care, as 24 hour care is billed at an hourly versus a flat rate with Live-in rate. Live-in care is about half the cost of 24 hour care.

Additionally, 24 hour care has less continuity of caregivers, making this less desirable where the client wants or needs the same person providing all the care.

About Unique HomeCare Services

Unique HomeCare Services provides private in-home care for elders, those with Alzheimer’s or Dementia, and people who are recuperating from illness, injury, or surgery.

We provide both short-term and long-term in-home care needs from as little as one 4 hour day a week to 24 Hour Care and Live-In Care.

We offer a full range of in-home personal care services including Bathing, Personal Hygiene, Dressing Assistance, Toileting and Incontinence, Feeding, and Medication Reminders.

We also provide support services such as Case Management, Accompaniment to Appointments, Nutrition and Meal Management, Light Housekeeping and Laundry Services, Bed and Wheel Chair Transfers, and Shopping and Running Errands.

Our service area is Boston, Norwood, Dedham, Westwood, Walpole, Canton, Sharon, Stoughton, Avon, Braintree, Easton, Milton, Quincy, Weymouth, and surrounding towns.

It is our pleasure to assist our veteran clients with VA Aid and Attendance Benefit approval at no cost.

We have an extensive Directory of Online Senior and Caregiver Resources for the information you need.

To schedule a no cost and no obligation In-Home Assessment to determine the home care needs and get a quote, please call us to speak to a Case Manager at (800) 296-9962 or fill out our Free Quote Contact Form.

 

Options When Live-In Care Is Needed

Advantages of in-home live-in care or 24 hour home care over an assisted living facility or nursing home is are lower costs and the ability of the individual to stay in their home.

LIVE IN CARE

Live-In Care

Live-In care involves a single caregiver providing care to the client in a 24 hour time frame. Typically, the caregiver is scheduled for a maximum of four or five days per week. For the remainder of the days of the week, a different caregiver attends to the client.

In a 24 hour period, it is customary for a 4 hour break to be given to the Live-in caregiver. One must decide if they would like to provide additional home healthcare coverage for these 4 hours.

The caregiver for the Live in shift is provided with an 8 hour sleeping break and a bed must be provided for the caregiver.

Billing for Live in caregivers is done at a flat rate per day.  Coverage for the 4 hour break if needed is paid on an hourly rate.

Advantages of Live-In Care

Live-in caregiver rates are half the cost of 24 hour care.

With Live-in care the number of caregivers is reduced. Ideally, two caregivers are scheduled for the whole week coverage. This provides the client with the consistency of care and gives the senior, disabled, or post hospitalized person an opportunity to get to know and build a relationship with their two caregivers.

Disadvantages of Live-In Care

One disadvantage of using Live-in care is that there is a 4 hour break given to the daytime caregiver. You have to decide if care during the break period is needed and if so, who provides this care, a family or another caregiver. If care is provided during the break, there is an additional hourly cost on top of the flat live-in rate.

As the caregiver is given a mandatory 8 hour sleeping break, there is no direct care or supervision during this 8 hour time frame.

How To Decide Which Type Of Care Is Better

To determine which option, Live-in care or 24 hour care is needed, we suggest you have an In-Home Assessment. Then together we can help you determine the best type of care for you or your loved one.

We also recommend getting the input of your medical care team so that you can make an informed decision that takes into account your medical, emotional, and financial considerations.

About Unique HomeCare Services

Unique HomeCare Services provides private in-home care for elders, those with Alzheimer’s or Dementia, and people who are recuperating from illness, injury, or surgery.

We provide both short-term and long-term in-home care needs from as little as one 4 hour day a week to 24 Hour Care and Live-In Care.

We offer a full range of in-home personal care services including Bathing, Personal Hygiene and Grooming, Dressing Assistance, Toileting and Incontinence, Feeding, and Medication Reminders.

We also provide support services such as Case Management, Accompaniment to Appointments, Nutrition and Meal Management, Light Housekeeping and Laundry Services, Bed and Wheel Chair Transfers, and Shopping and Running Errands.

Unique HomeCare Services is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts and serves the surrounding Greater Boston communities.

It is our pleasure to assist our veteran clients with VA Aid and Attendance Benefit approval at no cost.

We have an extensive Directory of Online Senior and Caregiver Resources for the information you need.

To schedule a no cost and no obligation In-Home Assessment to determine the home care needs and get a quote, please call us to speak to a Case Manager at (800) 296-9962 or fill out our Free Quote Contact Form.