What Home Care Assistance is Available in Harrisburg, PA?

Home care assistance Harrisburg PA

You are seeing the signs that your loved one needs help with their daily functioning. They do not want to go into a “home” or another facility because it seems so cold. The good news is that there are options that will keep them safely in their beloved house. So, what home care assistance is available in Harrisburg, PA?

In truth, what type of services you’ll receive depends heavily on the circumstances. However, home caregiving focuses on four key areas:

  • Personal Care: This covers cleaning, laundry, dishes, food preparation, hygiene, and medication monitoring, among other things.
  • Supervised Activities: It’s important to get out of the house. A trained aide can transport an individual to community activities regularly, even those with dementia or functional impairments.
  • Personalized Case Management: At AmeriBest in Harrisburg, PA, we pride ourselves on creating specialized care plans perfectly suited to your loved one’s situation.
  • Companionship: An aide becomes a lifeline for socialization. Studies show that such interaction deters depression and anxiety.

Other assists include skilled nursing, speech therapy, and physical therapy. An agency can offer you options on how to make the home space safer and easier to navigate. They can also assist with obtaining medical equipment and supplies when you’re struggling to find them.  In short, home care assistance in Harrisburg, PA, provides support to vulnerable individuals while maintaining their dignity and sense of independence.

Choosing a Home Care Agency

As you might imagine, the approach and culture of one agency can be vastly different than another. How do you choose? One of the most important things you should know is that the Department of Health in PA licenses caregiving agencies. This department oversees an agency’s standards and surveys them regularly. An agency must adhere to regulations.

When you start your search, we recommend having a list of questions ready to ask each potential agency. Start with their certification and accreditations. These aren’t an end-all and be-all, but it’s a beginning.

Move on to their hiring and training practices. The best agencies look for a specific “type” of individual as staff, one with compassion, patience,  attentiveness, and strong ethics. The agency must require background checks by PA State law. After hiring, do the aids receive more training, and if so, what type? At AmeriBest we know it’s important to keep our staff abreast of best practices as they emerge in the health care industry.

From a pragmatic point of view, what does the agency do when your aide calls off? How soon can they have a replacement available? Can the agency handle your loved one’s unique requirements, if applicable?

Last, collect references and follow up on them. You’d be surprised at how many people take a professional services company at its word. Get feedback from others and from the Better Business Bureau so you’re not caught by an unpleasant surprise.

What Can You Expect from AmeriBest Home Care Harrisburg, PA?

When our agency works with you, we pride ourselves on being knowledgeable and individualized. There are no “cookie-cutter” solutions to home care here. Your situation is different from anyone else’s in family dynamics alone.

We focus on getting to know you and your loved one, as well as getting input from their wellness team. You can contact us online, call 717-545-2920 or 1800-HOMECARE, or email info@ameribest.org with any questions or get further information.

What Home Care Assistance Is Available in Harrisburg PA?

What Home Care Assistance Is Available in Harrisburg PA?

If you have an aging or ill family member, you may wonder what home care assistance is available in Harrisburg, PA. Home health agencies are designed to provide services to vulnerable individuals. The goal is to offer safety, dignity, and independence.

In Pennsylvania, the Department of Health must license all such agencies, measuring them against established standards. Ongoing reviews and surveys happen, ensuring an agency adheres to regulations. Even so, not all caregiving organizations are created equal. You want a company that puts individuals first and personalizes their care, such as AmeriBest Home Care.

What to Ask During Interviews

As you look at different agencies, there are questions you should be asking each of them.

  1. Are you certified by Medicare (a program that covers some, if not all, of the cost of a home caregiver)?
  2. What are your accreditations?
  3. Does your hiring process include background checks?
  4. Do you provide your employees with training?
  5. What do you have in place for replacement personnel in case of call-offs?
  6. Do you provide updates on any issues or concerns you observe?
  7. What payment plans do you have, and can you help with applying for specific coverage?
  8. What happens if an aide doesn’t work out?
  9. Can I have some references?

Beyond these questions, also have keynotes about your situation and your loved one’s needs on a daily basis, particularly if they have unique requirements like help with transport, visual limitations, etc.

Take notes. Get a contact name, and use that person for other questions that inevitably arise.

What can You Expect from a Home Health Aide providing home care assistance in Harrisburg, PA?

Each situation is unique. Your loved ones’ care plan is one-of-a-kind and individualized. There are some generalities, however. Aides are selected for having specific traits, especially the ability to communicate with vastly different people in public and private sectors. Be it Uncle Joe, or Dr. Keenan, the aide providing home care assistance in Harrisburg PA must remain professional, knowledgeable, and practice active listening.

Your aide may help with general housework like dishes and dusting. They may also provide personal assistance for washing, medication management, and getting to and from appointments. Perhaps the most important aspect of being an aide is the ability to build a relationship with the client and offer socialization. Loneliness is the leading cause of depression among housebound individuals.

Cost Factors

Medicare covers most types of home health care, but it must be ordered by a doctor. If you have private insurance, bills normally go through that agency before reaching Medicare. In order to bill Medicare, the agency must bear its certification. In Pennsylvania, about 30% of home care agencies have this certification.

Would you Like to become a Caregiver Home Health Aide in Harrisburg, PA?

AmeriBest Home Care is hiring caregivers: PCAs, HHAs, and CNAs. If you’d like to hire a family or friend to tend to your loved one, we can help with that process, too. We have an outstanding benefits package because we believe our employees are the key to our client’s welfare as well as the company’s success.

You can contact us online, call 717-545-2920 or 1800-HOMECARE, email info@ameribest.org with any questions or move forward with an application.

Are you looking for Home Care in Harrisburg?

Have you been caring for your loved one at home without assistance? Caregiving can wear you out and create anxiety about maintaining the individual’s quality of life. That’s where AmeriBest can help. If you are looking for top-quality home care in Harrisburg, PA we have a local office that can provide you with all the information you’ll need to move forward.

Why AmeriBest Home Care?

AmeriBest Home Care believes in high-quality, comprehensive service, both home health, and personal care. Each person we service receives a personalized assessment, coordinating with their primary physician and any current clinical staff. It’s a holistic approach that gives people peace of mind. 

If we had to summarize AmeriBest in three words, they would be comfort, safety, and dignity. 

  • Your loved one stays in their own home. There are no strangers wandering the halls of a facility. This gives them some peace of mind, and a sense of assurance. Our amazing home nursing services and in-home caregiver program strives daily to connect with both the individual and family, offering answers to any questions you may have.
  • A direct care worker looks at your home through a different lens; one focused on making sure everything’s in the best possible place for safety. That slippery rug or lack of handrail? You may not have thought about them before. We can help.
  • Having compassionate, trustworthy staff means your loved one never feels like a “number,” boosting morale and a deep sense of self-worth. 

Benefits of Having a Home Health Care Aide

Whether you live in Harrisburg, PA, or in the Philadelphia, PA area, AmeriBest is here. You may be new to the idea of having an aide, but there are many benefits to consider:

  • Extra eyes and hands. You are only one person. An experienced aid provides coverage during times when you cannot be “eyes-on.”
  • An home health aide can take care of transporting an individual to various medical appointments. 
  • The caregiver or direct care worker provides the individual with companionship and socialization
  • Home care often proves more affordable than a facility
  • Your personal assistant can help keep the home in order when the individual’s ability is limited
  • The nurse can watch for physical or emotional changes that may indicate an underlying problem. 

What you can Expect from AmeriBest Home Care

Dependability is one of the keynotes that makes AmeriBest one of the top-rated home health care agencies in Harrisburg and Philadelphia, PA. Our office lowers the risk of call-outs and no-shows by always having a backup plan. We seek only the best candidates in our hiring process. 

Our staff members provide essential support services. Your nurse or aide will familiarize themselves with existing medical practitioners and providers and coordinate with them for high-quality care. 

AmeriBest can also help you navigate insurance coverage, including Medicaid. The paperwork can become overwhelming and it helps to have a professional “interpreter” for all the jargon.

If you would like more information, there are several ways to contact us. Beyond the online form, you can email info@ameribest.org or call 1-800-HOMECARE.