Patients (family and caregivers click here)

If you or your loved one is recovering from illness or surgery, Providence Home Health Care is here to help. Our primary goal is to help you regain your independence and maintain your health by providing care services in the comfort of your own home, while giving peace of mind to your loved ones.

There’s no doubt you have many questions and concerns related to specific health issues, medications, and how home health care works. The quickest way to answer most of your general questions is to click here to reach our Patients Frequently Asked Questions. If you find that your particular question has not been answered, please call our offices right away. We have representatives available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, we have representatives available who are fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, and Serbian.

Providence Home Health Care has compiled a list of links/resources to help patients and their families navigate some of the legal, medical, and financial challenges that may come up in the caregiver/patient relationship. Click here to view those Resources.

If you would like to download a brochure – please click here for a Providence Home Health Care brochure.

Patients Frequently Asked Questions

• Once I’m home what should I do first?
  The best thing you can do first for yourself and for your loved one(s) is to concentrate on healing and recovery. There are health professionals available to visit with you in your home and provide all of the medical and aid services which you may need. You concentrate on getting better, we’ll do the rest.
  
  
  
• Why should I choose Providence Home Health Care over other health care agencies?
  

Providence Home Health Care has won the prestigious Home Care Elite award for four years in a row*

*The HomeCare Elite is the definitive compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the US. This review recognized the Top 25 percent of those agencies whose performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement, are the best and also identifies those honorees ranked in the Top 100 and Top 500. The data used for this analysis was compiled from publicly available information. The HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS, Inc., the leading provider of healthcare informatics; and DecisionHealth, publisher of home care’s most respected independent newsletter: Home Health Line. 

• After I call you how quickly can you have someone come to my home?
  After the initial phone intake with one of our staff members, depending on the nature of the services you or your loved one requires, we could potentially have Providence Home Health Care representatives at your home within 24 hours. The best way to find out is to call us today.
  
  
  
• How will you choose which health professional to send to my home?
  Your initial phone call will give us a sense of which services you will need. We will match your needs to a Providence Home Health Care professional who can best fill your needs. In addition we have staff members fluent in Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and Serbian.
  
  If you feel that you would benefit from day to day help, the initial intake with one of our staff members will give us most of the information we need. Any open questions will be answered after our first complimentary visit.
  
  
  
• How do I know if I need extra help at home?
  You may need extra help if you or a loved one:

• Have questions about medications, even after the doctor’s visit
• Made a recent visit to the emergency room
• Were recently diagnosed with a health condition or illness
• Are concerned about a non-healing wound
• Have been diagnosed with diabetes and want to learn more about diabetic management
• Feel anxious, confused, or have insomnia
• Experience increased weakness, lower back or extremities pain, or recent or increased falls
• Require more care than you currently have
• Need help with daily activities like bathing, cooking, shopping, etc
  
  

• I only need help a few hours a week, is that OK?
  We can offer extra help as frequently or infrequently as you require. The goal is to get each individual to a place where he/she can live independently in their own home. For some patients that requires daily help, for others it may mean a visit once a day, or twice a week. Once we get your initial intake information, we will be better equipped to make a decision that works for your physician, your loved ones, and you.
  
  
  
• How do I figure out which services I need?
  Your initial phone call will give us a sense of which services you will need. We will match your needs to a Providence Home Health Care professional who can best fill your needs. In addition we have staff members fluent in Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and Serbian.
  
  If you feel that you would benefit from day to day help, the initial phone call with one of our staff members will give us most of the information we need. Any open questions will be answered after our first complimentary visit.
  
  
  
• I am the caregiver for a family member who may need home health care services, do you have any advice?
  Becoming the caregiver for a family member can be a challenge if you don’t have a plan. If you know for a fact that your family member needs home health care services or if you suspect that some services would be helpful, the best thing to do is to call our offices immediately.
  
  Because Providence Home Health Care focuses solely on home health care issues, we can work with you, your loved one, and the physicians to come up with a plan for everyone to follow. A comprehensive plan makes it easier for everyone involved because there is a clear outline of steps to take and symptoms and signs to look out for. Providence Home Health Care will help you maintain, review, and change the plan (when necessary).
  
  When the plan is clear your role as the primary caregiver becomes clearer as well.
  
  Providence Home Health Care takes the role of the caregiver very seriously. We know that perhaps the biggest reason that people want to remain in their homes is because they know that their family members (caregivers) will treat them kindly and with respect. To that end we have compiled a list of resources which may help you in your role of caregiver outside of the realm of the home health care issue. Click here to review the Resources page.
  
  Use this form to have someone from the Providence staff contact you within 48 hours.
  
  
• How do I find someone qualified to help me at home?
  When you hire a home health care agency you make a big decision. You’re inviting a stranger into your home to take care of yourself or your loved ones. This is certainly not a decision to be taken lightly. Be prepared to interview any potential home health care agency.
  
  Most national agencies advocating for patient’s rights and excellence in home health care will recommend that patients and their families ask many questions of a potential home health care agency.

The following content (in italics) is from the Senior Citizens Guide and can be found in its entirety (with the editorial provided by the Ohio Council for Home Care) by following this link to SeniorCitizensGuide.com

Home Care encompasses a wide range of health and social services that can be delivered at home to recovering, disabled, or chronically ill persons in need of medical, nursing, social or therapeutic treatment and/or assistance with the essential activities of daily living. It can be for anyone - individuals and families of all ages who are challenged by a variety of heatlh and social problems such as short- or long-term illness, injury, physical handicaps, mental health disorders and chemical dependencies.

Home care services are provided by home care agencies. These agencies generally fall into three main groups: home care agencies., home care aide organizations, and hospices. In the past century, these public and pricate non-profit and for-profit organizations have centered around a core of professional nursing and home care aide sevices. Home care agencies also provide a variety of other services, including physcial, occupational, and speech therapy, and social and nutritional care. Before one receives home care, a specific plan of treament should be designed by a physician, nurse and/or medical social worker in cooperation with the people who will provide the care.

The team of caregivers is usually comprised of:

1. physicians
2. social workers
3. registered nurses (RNs)
4. licensed practical nurses (LPNs)
5. therapy specialists (physical, occupation, and speech therapists)
6. dieticians and pharmacists
7. home care aides and chore workers/companions
8. family members
9. volunteers

Finding the home care agency best suited for your needs requires research, but it is time well spent. Once you acquire the names of several agencies, you will want to learn more about their services and reputations. Following are some questions to ask home care providers and community leaders. Their insight will help you detrmine which agency is best for you or your loved one.

• How long has the agency been serving the community?
• Is the agency certified by medicare?
• Is the agency license and accredited?
• Does the agency provide literature explaining its services, eligibility requirements, fees, and funding sources?
• How does the agency select and train its employees?
• Does it protect its workers with written personnel policies, benefits packages, and malpractice insurance?
• Does it run a Criminal Records Check on new employees?
• Are the agency's nurses or therapists required to evaluate the patient's home care needs?
• Is the patient's course of treatment documented, detailing the specific tasks to be caried out by each professional caregiver?
• Does the agency assign supervisors to oversee the qaility of care patients are receiving in their homes/ If so, how often do these individuals make visits? Whom can you call with questions or complaints? How are problems followed up and resolved?
• Does the agency take time to educate family members on the type of care that is being provided?
• What are the agency's financial procedures? Does it provide written statements that explain all the costs and payment plan options associated with home care?
• What procedures are in place to handle emergencies?
  Are the agency's caregivers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
• How does the provider ensure patient confidentiality?

Ask the home care agency to provide you with a list of individuals who are familar with its reputation. Consult these people as well as physicians, discharge planners, and community leaders to help assess the quality of service the agency provides.

If you invest some time and follow the steps outlined above, you most likely will receive high-quality home care that is safe and effective. If a problem develops, you should first contact the home care agency's chief adminsitrator or clinical supervisor. If the problem cannot be resolved or you would like to issue a complaint, notify the:

1. Ohio Health Department's Complaint Hotline (800-342-0553)
   (This should only be used if the agency is Medicare certified)
2. Better Business Bureau
3. State Long-Term Care Ombudsman (800-282-1206)
4. State Attorney General's Consumer Protection (800-282-0515)

A reputable agency will be able to recommend a list of services based on the patients condition and specific environment (ie help getting into and out of a wheelchair to use the bathroom). In interviews with the patient, patient’s physician and family,

Providence Home Health Care will research:

• Patients likes and dislikes
• Illnesses and injuries
• Signs of a potential medical emergency
• Medications schedule
• Need for medical equipment including: walkers, canes, eyeglasses, dentures, etc
• Special diets or dietary needs
• Daily required or recommended therapeutic exercises
  

• Which kinds of services do you offer?

Providence Home Health Care provides the following professionals/services:

• Skilled Nursing – RNs
• Behavioral Health professionals
• Physical Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Home Health Aid Services

• Can I afford home health care?
  Providence Home Health Care is Medicare, Medicaid, and PASSPORT certififed, and we accept most private insurances. The best way to find out for sure is to call our offices.
  
  
  
• Will Medicare pay for my home health care costs?
  Although a call to our office is critical to verify the details of your particular case, according to Medicare, your home health care costs will be covered by Medicare:

• When the patient is homebound and under a doctor’s care
• When the patient needs skilled nursing care, occupational therapy, speech therapy, or physical therapy on at least an intermittent basis
• When the services provided are under a doctor’s supervision and performed as part of a home health care plan written specifically for that patient
• When the patient is eligible for the Medicare program and the services ordered are “medically reasonable and necessary”
• The home health care agency is certified by Medicare.
  

If you have any additional questions about Medicare coverage please call our office today so that one of our professionals can give you more specific information related to your particular case. Additionally,  you can visit the Medicare site at www.medicare.gov



• English is not my first language can you help?
  Call our offices right away! We can provide you with services from staff members who are fluent in Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and Serbian.
  
  
  
  
• What should I do now?
  Call Providence Home Health Care, and then concentrate on your recovery. Leave the rest to us.
  
  Use this form to have someone from the Providence staff contact you within 48 hours.
  

Family and Caregiver's Frequently Asked Questions

Becoming the caregiver for a family member can be a challenge if you don’t have a plan. If you know for a fact that your family member needs home health care services or if you suspect that some services would be helpful, the best thing to do is to call our offices immediately.

Because Providence Home Health Care focuses solely on home health care issues, we work with you, your loved ones, and the physicians to come up with a plan for everyone to follow. A comprehensive plan makes it easier for everyone involved because there is a clear outline of steps to take and symptoms and signs to look out for. Providence Home Health Care will help you maintain, review, and change the plan (when necessary).

When the plan is clear your role as the primary caregiver becomes clearer as well.

Providence Home Health Care takes the role of the caregiver very seriously. We know that perhaps the biggest reason that people want to remain in their homes is because they want to maintain their independence as long as possible and know that their family members (caregivers) will treat them kindly and with respect. To that end we have compiled a list of resources which may help you in your role of caregiver outside of the realm of the home health care issue. Click here to review the Resources page.

Use this form to have someone from the Providence staff contact you within 48 hours.

For our Patient's Frequently Asked Questions click here