Scenario:

You have made the decision to let an aide come into your home to assist. That was hard enough on you! Now you are getting apprehensive about what to expect when the aide arrives for work:

– Will I like the aide? What if I don’t? How would I handle this problem?

– What will the aide do for me? Do I have to tell her what to do?

-What if I don’t like the way the aide does her job? Do I have to tell her?

– What if the aide will not listen to me or do things my way? Who supervises?

You are not alone in your fears. With no prior experience in having in home assistance, your imagination is probably conjuring up all sorts of “worst case scenarios.” Assuming that you have hired an aide from a home health care agency, then you can expect a lot of support in resolving your anxieties.

It is the agency’s job to answer your questions in advance and resolve any issues that arise once the aide starts to work in your home. Good communication with the agency management and with the worker in your home is the key to facilitating your satisfaction and comfort level with the home health care services being Provided

Here are a few tips to help you establish positive relationships with your home health care professionals:

Be completely honest about your needs.

Overcome any embarrassment or guilt associated with describing why you need help and what you need help with. Remember that you are dealing with professionals who have helped a variety of clients and are experienced in helping to meet the needs of their clients. Home Health Care professionals are prepared to deal with tough problems, such as Alzheimer’s, alcoholism, Parkinson’s, strokes, incontinence, and stressful family circumstances.

State your preferences from the start.

The best way to get exactly what you want is to be specific. Give a detailed request to the agency so that the aide they send will meet your needs. Items to include are your household rules, such as “no smoking” or “kosher kitchen”. Also express your daily routines and how to follow them, such as “up at 7am”, “breakfast first, medications second, shower last”, “let me have privacy from 9am until ll am”, “light lunch at noon”, “laundry once a week”, “transportation to salon every Friday using employee’s car”.

Give feedback to the agency on a timely basis.

“Nip it in the bud” is good advice. Most problems start out small and can be best resolved when addressed promptly. If you are experiencing a problem with the aide, call the agency. This benefits you in two ways: it alleviates your involvement with reprimanding the aide directly and it prompts the agency to diplomatically resolve your problem. Employee supervision is the responsibility of the agency. If the employee problem cannot be resolved to your satisfaction, request a different aide from the agency. The agency will handle the hiring/firing arrangements for you.

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