Do Your Home Care Homework

Do Your Home Care Homework

If you have never received home care services, odds are you don’t know much about them. Home care is a subject that tends to be discussed only after the immediate need arises. At that point, you don’t have time to research agencies or learn about available services and potential benefits that help offset the cost. Too often this scenario leads to an unhappy experience. At Advantage we recommend you do your homework ahead of time.

The most important step is to start gathering information before you need it. After all, most of us wouldn’t wait until we are on the operating table to seek a surgeon. You don’t have to look far to find a wealth of information about services and agencies. It’s as easy as performing a google search, for “home care agencies near me”, from your desktop, tablet, or mobile device. Your local Area on Aging also has a list of home care providers in your area. We recommend you contact several agencies and request information. Keep that information in the same place you keep all your healthcare related documents so that you, or a family member, can find it when the time comes.

Preparing for the day when you may need help is too important to leave until you are in the position of having to take potluck. An informed healthcare consumer is much more likely to make appropriate choices and to receive what they want. Don’t wait for somebody else to make your home care decisions for you. As a patient you have the right to decide who will provide your care. To be able to do that, you’ll need to do your homework first.