Good Info on Hiring Home Health Aides Via: NYT
There are three good posts on The New Old Age Blog at the New York Times about hiring home health aides. Never having been though the process, but thinking I might someday, I found these posts helpful.
Home Health Aides: Why Hire From an Agency? – This first of a three-part series of interviews with Marki Flannery, President of Partners in Care, an affiliate of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. This post discusses the benefits of hiring from an agency versus the so-called “gray market,” an over-the-back-fence approach. Some of the reasons that Ms. Flannery gives include:
- Will the home health aide be caring for someone with a diagnosed medical condition?
- If my mom hates the person I hire, can I quickly find a replacement — or even a replacement for the replacement?
- If this person calls in sick or plans a vacation, am I able to work from home to provide care?
- Can I trust this person to do the food shopping for my dad and only buy what he needs and not extras?
Home Health Aides: What They Make, What They Cost – This was also an eye opener. I certainly imagined it would be expensive. In the scenario that she gives, 24/7 care would cost about $165,000 a year. Flannery points out that it’s actually cheaper to have someone for four days and then another person for three days in order to avoid overtime. It seems like fatigue would be a problem too. She also describes the compensation, benefits and education that the aides in an agency receive.
Home Health Aides: Present and Future – This post is more focused on hiring and managing home healthcare aides and some thoughts on the aging of baby boomers, a large portion of our population.
While by no means a comprehensive look at home health aides, I thought the series provided exceptional insight into something that many of us has had to face. Read the comments too; they add another dimension to the topic.
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