Lighthouse Series spotlights home services for seniors
There are important differences between home health and home care, so the Lighthouse Senior Truth Series gathered a few experts to explain it all. The series is sponsored by the Lighthouse Group and its founder, Alison Van Hecke. Concordia Senior Living hosts the seminars every month at 10:30 a.m. on the fourth Thursday.
Representing Home Care were Carey Lingenfelter of Home Instead and Gary Halstead of Comfort Keepers. Spokespeople for Home Health were Sonya Emett of Mercy Home Health and Keith Wilson of Encompass. A fifth panelist was Jeff Hatley of Ozark Regional Transit. His agency shares a common interest with both home health and home care. They can help seniors stay in their own home by providing transportation.
The difference between the two types of agencies is the services each one provides.
Lingenfelter described home care as an extension of what a family member can do.
It might be just companionship, Halstead explained, or it may be much more. Home care workers can cook, clean, run errands and even accompany a client on a trip.
A home care worker may become very important if a family member is suffering from dementia because they can give the primary caregiver, who is often a spouse, some respite.
For the past five years, Halstead said, a state law has required home care workers to receive 40 hours of training. Most of his employees are naturally caring people, he said, but the training helps them know how to help their clients.
Lingenfelter explained that home care can be affordable. The first step is always a meeting with the family to determine what is needed. His company accepts long-term care insurance and he can help families find other options to pay for care. It’s possible that Medicare will start paying for home health within the next year or two.
Home care is usually billed by the hour, clients can decide what is needed, Halstead said.
Home health is needed when the client has medical needs, Emett said. It’s usually ordered by a doctor, sometimes on a temporary basis when a patient had an injury or a surgery, but sometimes longer term. Home health is likely to be covered by Medicare and sometimes Medicaid, depending on the client’s income.
You can refuse home health, Wilson said. Some people just don’t want a stranger in their homes, but, he said, keep in mind that home health workers are professionals and not interested in what your home looks like. They are there to do their job. He warned that some insurance that is an alternative to Medicare may not pay for home health.
Home health workers stay in close touch with the medical team, he said. If a patient needs a wheelchair or another medical device, their home health worker can contact the doctor and get the item ordered.
After the meeting, Cindee Johnson of Concordia said the senior living facility has its own home care program in place. Residents can use one of the outside agencies if they choose, or they can use the in-house program.
Hatley said that Ozark Regional Transit helps seniors stay in their own homes. The same people who need home care or home health, often need transportation and they probably don’t realize that Ozark Transit can help.
While there is no fixed bus route in Bella Vista, Ozark has a fleet of minivans that can pick up and transport people to all kinds of destinations. It doesn’t have to be a medical appointment, Hatley said. The Demand Response Service will take people to Walmart or Crystal Bridges.
It works best for people who can be flexible, Hatley said. He advised potential clients to talk to dispatchers about the best time for a trip. It might be difficult to schedule trips at specific times of the day, so using the service to get a ride to the airport to catch a plan might not work. But if a trip to the store can take place over a range of dates or times, it will be easier to get it on the schedule.
The next Senior Truth Series is about downsizing and is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 25 at Concordia.