Author: Risa Margulies

Activities of Daily Living

Posted on by Risa Margulies

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are essential personal tasks that people do on an everyday basis. Some examples of ADLs include bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, meal preparation, feeding, toileting, continence care, transferring, and lifting. Older adults often have trouble performing some or all ADLs on their own.

Caregivers can help clients perform these activities of daily living as needed. The help provided by the Caregiver is completely dependent upon each individual client’s needs. For instance, one client may require a Caregiver’s full assistance with bathing or showering, while another may need the Caregiver to simply monitor the activity to ensure the client is safe and help reduce the risk of a slip and fall. This individualized level of assistance is applied by the Caregiver to all ADLs.

The Caregiver will also familiarize themselves with the full spectrum of the client’s abilities and needs in order to allow the client to maintain independence where and when they can. For example, a client may need help with preparing a meal, but be perfectly capable of feeding themselves. In this case, the Caregiver will cook a meal for the client, but will not overstep and try to assist with feeding. If the client’s needs change over time, the Caregiver can adapt to those needs.

There may be instances where a client is not receptive to receiving the needed help or care. This can especially be the case if the client has dementia, which can cause them to become agitated. Caregivers have the skills to maintain open communication with the client and their families regarding care. For example, the Caregiver will use a very calm tone and demeanor to ascertain the client’s preferences and comfort level with receiving care and will clearly explain to them about how the help will be provided.

To learn more about our home care services and why thousands of families choose us, call us at 800-588-0517.

Mobility Assistance

Posted on by Risa Margulies

Mobility issues are common amongst older adults. When mobility assistance is needed, a Caregiver can help with getting up, walking, transfers into or out of bed or a chair, turning/positioning in bed, range of motion exercises, and more. Increased physical activity, assisted by a Caregiver, can help boost a client’s mood, decrease stress, and increase alertness.

In addition, Caregivers can provide a helping hand and safety monitoring to decrease a client’s risk of slipping and falling. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the U.S., falls are the leading cause of injury and injury death among adults age 65 and older. The Caregiver can help ensure that the client is able to move about safely.

To learn more about our home care services and why thousands of families choose us, call us at 800-588-0517.

Companionship

Posted on by Risa Margulies

Companionship can be vital to the mental and physical well-being of older adults.

As individuals age it can become harder to keep up with normal routines and social activities. According to the CDC, older adults, particularly those who live alone, are prone to develop feelings of social isolation and loneliness that can lead to serious health conditions. Caregivers can provide companionship support that helps clients feel comfortable, secure, social, and well-cared for.

Caregivers can provide companionship services including:
• Assistance/company with normal routines
• Taking for a walk
• Providing company at mealtime, social activities, or family events and other functions
• Shopping/Errands
• Accompanying to appointments
• Transportation*


**Standard IRS mileage rates may be applicable.

To learn more about our home care services and why thousands of families choose us, call us at 800-588-0517.

Support Services

Posted on by Risa Margulies

Many times, a chief reason for utilizing home care services is allowing older adults to maintain their independence and stay in their own home for as long as possible. Caregivers can help with that goal by providing support and a helping hand to clients with light housekeeping duties including:

    • Laundry
    • Washing Dishes
    • Taking out the trash
    • Maintaining Bathroom Cleanliness
    • Maintaining Bedroom Cleanliness
    • Vacuuming/Dusting
    • Making the bed/changing bed linens

To learn more about our home care services and why thousands of families choose us, call us at 800-588-0517.

Nutrition

Posted on by Risa Margulies

Specific attention to dietary needs, preferences, and restrictions, is very important to keeping older adults healthy and well-nourished. Caregivers can perform a variety of tasks to help meet the nutritional needs of clients including:

  • Preparing meals/snacks
  • Assisting with feeding
  • Feeding
  • Encouraging fluids
  • Restricting fluids

In addition, Caregivers can help a client to follow any dietary guidelines set by their health care team or dietician, or by their own personal preferences such as a vegan, vegetarian, or kosher diet.

To learn more about our home care services and why thousands of families choose us, call us at 800-588-0517.

See How our Caregiver Screening Process Sets Us Apart

Posted on by Risa Margulies

Our top priority is to ensure that every Caregiver we work with is the best of the best. After all, home care is about trust; you are letting someone into your household to take care of your loved one—often in personal ways—and that is no easy feat. You want to feel safe and secure in your choice. The Caregiver should be someone who you would trust with your loved one as much as you would trust yourself.

Ensuring such dependability goes beyond the Caregivers’ skills, to who they are as human beings. That’s why every Caregiver who Family & Nursing Care employs or refers to must share our values of respect and love for aging adults, and they must be compassionate, reliable, and trustworthy.

You may be wondering how we can be certain that every Caregiver embodies these qualities and required skillsets. The answer: after nearly half a century of providing home care services, we’ve created a system through which only the very best Caregivers are selected.

Here’s how it works:

The phone screening.

During this intial conversation, we let the Caregivers know that we will verify that they have the appropriate documentation to meet our minimum requirements in accordance with applicable local and state law. This includes:

  • Two years’ hands-on experience within the last three years*
  • Certification: MD State CNA/GNA and/or DC HHA**
  • Complete work history from the last five years
  • Proof of eligibility to work in the United States
  • Government-issued picture ID
  • Social Security card
  • Current TB Clearance
  • Current Hepatitis B screening**
  • CPR certification**

*One year for caregiver applicants in Central Maryland and Pennsylvania
**For caregiver applicants in Maryland and DC

 

In addition, the phone screening helps us evaluate the communication skills of the Caregiver. Only 8% of applicants make it past this point to be invited to fill out an application.

The application.

The candidates who make it past the phone screening are then invited to fill out the application. We evaluate how the Caregiver portrays themself and their answers on the application to establish if the Caregiver displays our high standards for professionalism and compassion. If the applicant passes this stage, they move onto the computerized competency exam.

The computer competency exam.

We work with a third-party testing agency to ensure a fair evaluation of Caregivers through this test. We want every family who chooses Family & Nursing Care to know that they are receiving care from only the most knowledgeable and competent caregivers in the area.

The background check.

We perform a background check and employment and reference verification as established by state law.

The Face-to-Face Interview.

Those who pass the above requirements then move on to a face-to-face interview, which is conducted virtually over Zoom with one of our recruiters. We ask many questions during the comprehensive interview, yet perhaps the most important question is the one we ask ourselves: “Would I trust this person with my loved one?” It’s a powerful question that helps us keep clients’ best interests top of mind.

Getting Acquainted.

At the end of the process, it is the top 8% of applicants who are asked to move on to the next stage and attend a special meeting to better understand how we will work together, and about Family & Nursing Care’s commitment to serve, help, and enhance the quality of life and well-being of others.

Ongoing Support.

We have an entire Caregiver Services Department to serve as a resource for Caregivers. It is vitally important to us that those who provide care for our clients are well cared for by us.