New Certification Raises Standard for In-Home Caregivers

The senior care industry has grown dramatically in recent years along with the number of seniors needing care. Some seniors move into assisted living facilities or skilled nursing facilities as chronic conditions begin to affect their daily lives. Many more, however, are choosing to remain in their own homes with the help of companion caregivers. “Home is where the heart is” as the saying goes. But it can be difficult to find reliable help and the skills and quality of caregivers can vary greatly. Add to that limited supervision of those caregivers, if any, and home care comes with a set of uncertainties all its own. But one senior care network is changing all that with a landmark program aimed at setting a new standard for senior home care.

Hired caregivers, also called personal or companion aides, frequently perform daily services for seniors including light housekeeping, laundry, meal prep, shopping and errand services. In Florida, there are home health aides who may also provide personal care assistance for their clients such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and transfer and ambulation assistance. They often serve clients recovering from injury, surgery, and those suffering from arthritis, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. A growing number of caregivers are the sole custodians of seniors suffering from Alzheimers disease and other dementias. Under these circumstances, a caregiver’s responsibility can be very great. One might expect the average caregiver to be a highly trained professional. In contrast, however, the occupational characteristics of the typical caregiver, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, are characterized by low skill requirements and high emotional demands. Frequently, caregivers rely only on care experience they gained while caring for an ailing family member. They then hire themselves out, either independently or via an agency, to perform similar care for others. Unfortunately, each caregiver’s personal experience and skill level can vary greatly.

According to Rosemarie Tamunday-Casanova, RN, owner of RIGHT ACCORD Private Duty-Home Health Care  in Sarasota, Florida  “Training, or lack of it, is the issue. We’ve always insisted on a standardized training program for our caregivers. But we’re an exception. Many companion care companies, some of them franchises, offer very limited caregiver training. And some provide no skills training at all to their employees. Independent caregivers, those who are not affiliated with any agency, certainly don’t seek training. That’s a scary situation when you are hiring someone to care for yourself or a loved one.”

Most care agencies depend on the personal experience that each new caregiver brings with them. Without a training program, there’s no predictable skill standard. Until recently, the only consistent measure of skill was among state certified nursing assistants and home health aides, most of whom work for hospitals, facilities and home-health companies. It’s clear, however, that a majority of seniors prefer to remain in their own homes and will continue to rely on home care providers or companion caregivers for ongoing assistance.

To rectify the varying skill set of caregivers, The Senior’s Choice, Inc, the leading membership network of independent companion care companies, has established a new certification for companion caregivers, the Certified Companion Aide, (CCA^® ). Steve Everhart, president and founder of The Senior’s Choice stated, “Our mission is simple, we want to ensure the best home care possible for seniors – they’ve earned it, they deserve it. The CCA^® will stand head and shoulders above standard caregivers in both education and skill. And the type of person drawn to the CCA is big-hearted and committed to exemplary senior service.”

In the groundbreaking program, caregivers study 19 core subjects relating to senior care and then pass a battery of tests to ensure competency in the material. Topics include Communication, Understanding Aging, Emergency Preparation, Personal Care, Disability Issues, Mental Health & Illness, Nutritional Needs of Clients, and much more. The process prepares caregivers to consistently and professionally perform exceptional in-home care for seniors who choose to remain independent at home as long as possible.

Network members are very excited to be part of this certification opportunity. Everhart commented, “Our caregivers are great people who give tirelessly of themselves to help seniors. Now, they’ll have something that not only shows their level of dedication but actually improves the service they’re providing. The caregivers benefit by the additional education and seniors will certainly benefit through the CCAs’^® service. At the heart of it, that’s what counts.” The program is being rolled out exclusively among over 250 Senior’s Choice network member agencies throughout the US and Canada and raises the bar for companion care nationwide.

For further information contact:

Rosemarie Tamunday-Casanova, RN

RIGHT ACCORD Private Duty-Home Health Care

Phone: 1.877.685.3889 or 941.366.0801

Email: rose@rightaccordhealth.com

www.RightAccordHealth.com

Our senior clients and their caregivers enjoy Arts and Theater in Sarasota, Florida. This month at the Van Wezel has exciting shows. For more information, visit www.VanWezel.org

One of the things is providing information and  resources to educate our seniors particularly in the maze of navigating the health care system.

Medicare Part D is your Medicare Prescription Coverage.  It is a prescription drug option run by private insurance companies approved by Medicare and contracted by Medicare to help cover the cost of prescription drugs. It may help the elderly lower the drug costs and help protect seniors from higher costs in the future.

Seniors are eligible to enroll for  Medicare when they turn 65 years old. You can  enroll  Medicare Part D within the 7 month period that begins 3 months before the month you turn age 65, includes the month you turn age 65, and ends 3 months after the month you turn age 65.

November 15 to December 31 of each year is the enrollment period and the time when you can switch your Medicare prescription drug coverage and coverage begins  on the 1st of January the following year.

Seniors may also enroll between January 1 to march 31 of each year if they already have a Medicare prescription drug coverage. You must stay enrolled for that calendar year starting the date your coverage begins.

There are certain situations where you may be able to switch or drop Medicare plans such as if you move out of the service area, lose other creditable prescription drug coverage or live in an institution.

What you pay is a monthly premium in addition to your Part B, yearly deductible (some plans don’t have deductible) copayments or coninsurance or your share after the deductible.

The actual drug plan costs varies depending on your prescriptions, the plan you choose, whether the pharmacy you use is in the network and whether the prescription drugs are in your plan’s formulary list.

A coverage gap is available with most Medicare drug plans to pay after your plan spent certain amount and you have pay out-of-pocket limit for the year.

Catastrophic coverage is available once you reach your plan’s out-of pocket limit during coverage gap. This can assure you that once you have exhausted your covered drugs and out-of-pocket limit, you only pay a small copayment for the rest of the year.

You may want to check with the State Health Insurance Assistance Program to compare different plans and costs or visit www.medicare.gov for more information on your Medicare benefits.

For in-home care assistance and seniors who prefers to stay at home instead, please contact us at (941) 366-0801 for free consultation and care assessment in Sarasota, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Bird Key, Casey Key, Venice, Osprey, Nokomis and Lakewood Ranch.

The event is an all day event with VIP Ticketed Attendees in the morning with Continental breakfast and hear three Keynote Speakers. The afternoon sessions will be free and open to the public with full access to sponsor booths and stage performances from the Arts Community.

RIGHT ACCORD will have its booth in participation of the event’s goal. The overall goal is to provide essential and timely resources targeted towards the senior citizens in the community, their families, and friends, as well as key personnel in the health care industry. It is a not-for-profit event and all proceeds from the event will benefit the Alderman Oaks Lifecare Services and Prostate Cancer Prevention Foundation.

The event will take place from 9:30am to 4:00pm  at:

Sarasota Municipal Auditorium located at:

801 North Tamiami Road, Sarasota, Florida 34236

RIGHT ACCORD Private Duty-Home Care will be sponsoring Free Blood Pressure Screening and Fall Risk Assessment. There will be raffles and door prizes at the booth.

RIGHT ACCORD is the finest home care agency in Sarasota providing in-home care assistance to seniors who prefer to stay at home. Feel free to contact us for a free in-home assessment and consultation for your needs. If we cannot help you, we will provide you with the resources that may best suit your needs. We partner with different organizations in the community to best provide you with the appropriate care.

We have assisted many seniors in the Sarasota County in achieving their dream of staying at the comfort of their homes as long as they possibly can without imposing the burden to others. We make sure you stay at your own home instead.

Stop by our booth at the Sarasota Senior Living Expo to learn more about our services.

October 9, 2009

Sarasota, Florida. RIGHT ACCORD Private Duty-Home Care is proud to be chosen by the Sarasota community as a finalist in the Herald Tribune’s 2009 Reader’s Choice Awards for Best Home Health Care Agency in Sarasota, Florida.

RIGHT ACCORD’s owner Rosemarie Tamunday-Casanova is a nurse with over 20 years of experience, and who is committed to compassionate caring of the elderly and disabled who prefer in-home care. Families are assured peace of mind knowing that their loved ones are being cared for by compassionate and qualified care providers. Clients are assisted in maintaining their independence as long as they possibly can while reducing the burdens of caregiving imposed on family members.

RIGHT ACCORD Private Duty-Home Care refers Home Health Aides, Certified Nurse’s Aides, homemakers, companions, personal attendants, and caregivers as 24Hour live-ins or hourly basis. All care providers are bonded and insured, properly screened and background checked. Skilled nurses are available on an as-needed basis. A Registered Nurse in on call 24 hours a day.

The benefits of Omega 3 fish oils on the various system of the body have long been documented.  We can now safely purchase and consume fish oil knowing that extensive research has been carried out and that it is not some kind of health ‘craze’ or ‘fad’ that is sweeping the nation as we so often see with other natural products in the world of dieting, for example.

Omega 3 fish oil (or should I say the essential fatty acids) help the hearts of healthy people, people who are in a high risk category and people with heart disease.  The omega 3 fatty acids come, in various quantities, from different fish species such as mackerel, trout, herring, tuna and salmon.

There are other oils that can be taken to help with heart disease, or just keeping the heart healthy, and these come from flaxseed, walnuts, canola and soybeans, for example.  However, even though the fatty acids these foods release can be converted to omega 3, their benefits to the coronary system have yet to be further studied.

The background for this information goes back to 2002 when the AHA released a scientific statement indicating that omega3 fatty acids -

• decrease risk of arrhythmias, which can lead to sudden cardiac death
• decrease triglyceride levels
• decrease growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque
• lower blood pressure (slightly)

What does this mean for the caregiver and your elderly loved one?

These well documented findings on the relation between fish oil, omega 3 fatty acids and heart disease show that to begin with a healthy diet with the right variety of ‘good’ oils is crucial.  Obviously, going hand in hand with diet, is exercise.  But if there is a history of heart disease in the family then certain events might be out of your control.

Once coronary heart disease is confirmed then supplements may have to be considered.  We shall leave you with the closing comment from the AHA on the use of supplements.

“Increasing omega-3 fatty acid intake through foods is preferable. However, coronary artery disease patients may not be able to get enough omega-3 by diet alone. These people may want to talk to their doctor about taking a supplement. Supplements also could help people with high triglycerides, who need even larger doses. The availability of high-quality omega-3 fatty acid supplements, free of contaminants, is an important prerequisite to their use.”

If you would like more information on heart disease and omega 3 fish oil and fish oil supplements then please visit the website – Mind 1st USA.

Should you be concerned about your loved one and heart disease, and you are the caregiver, then please contact us to see how we can ease your burden with our professionally trained caregiver staff.

We are rasing bail out money as a commitment to the Sarasota, Florida MDA Telethon. Any donation toward my bail will not only help set me free, but will also help many area children and adults with muscle diseases by adding vital funds to MDA’s research efforts and health care needs.

I’m serving time for Jerry’s Kids. By participating in this event, we’re making a difference in the fight against muscular dystrophy. Any donation towards the “bail out money” will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s local health care service programs in Sarasota, Florida as well as worldwide research efforts.