Injury, illness, and age can make daily activities challenging. The things you may have taken for granted might become harder to do as you get older. As a caregiver, you might worry about your loved one continuing to stay in their home. They may need just a little more help around the house so they can live and age independently.
Needing help is normal, yet many people don’t want to ask for it. Or they don’t even know that they can ask for it.
At VNS Health, our home health aides are here to fill those gaps. Home health aides can help you or a loved one with day-to-day tasks and offer companionship. They provide personal care and help with meals and other tasks so your loved one can stay safe at home — while giving you peace of mind.
Who Needs Personal Care Services?
If you or a loved one struggles with tasks like cooking, dressing, or bathing, personal care services from a home health aide may be what you need. If you worry about your loved one being on their own — but don’t need or want to move them to a nursing facility — home health aides can offer much-needed support.
However, home health aides cannot provide medical or skilled nursing care. For example, a home health aide can remind you to take your medications on schedule, but they can’t administer the medications.
A home health aide might be the only support your loved one needs. Or the aide might be part of a larger care team that includes medical help. Rest assured that all VNS Health home health aides work under a nurse’s supervision. If you have questions about what kind of support your loved one needs, don’t hesitate to contact us.
What Services Can Home Health Aides Provide
Home health aides can offer many different kinds of support to you or your loved one.
Where Are Personal Care Services Available?
The following areas are serviced by VNS Health Personal Health Care Services.
- The Bronx
- Brooklyn
- Manhattan
- Queens
- Staten Island
- Nassau County
- Suffolk County
- Westchester County
- Rockland County
Providing the Best Care Possible
VNS Health Personal Care earned the Provider of Choice award from Best of Home Care, recognizing our commitment to the highest quality of care and patient satisfaction.
What Can I Expect from a Home Health Aide?
If you’ve never worked with a home health aide, you may wonder what you can expect. You may be nervous about bringing someone new into your home and into your loved one’s life. But you can trust that the VNS Health team is both highly trained and excited to meet you.
When you choose a home health aide to support your loved one, you can expect …
A high level of training
In New York, home health aides are trained and certified by a program approved by the New York State Department of Health. This program requires 75 hours of instruction in assistance with activities of daily living.
All VNS Health home health aides receive 50% more training than New York State requires. They also undergo a comprehensive background check.
Regular check-ins with a registered nurse
A registered nurse supervises your home health aide, and a VNS Health representative is available to talk 24 hours a day. Your registered nurse will routinely check in on your loved one to ensure that they are well and healthy.
Compassionate and respectful care
Our aides come from many backgrounds, so we can match you with an aide who understands you. This means someone who speaks your language, understands your customs, and might even know how to prepare your favorite foods.
Our home health aides have also been trained to support veterans and provide respectful care to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Peace of mind
Caring for an aging loved one can be stressful, overwhelming, and even frustrating. You may worry when you’re not around or spend time thinking about your loved one instead of relaxing or living your life.
By hiring a home health aide, you’re actually prioritizing both your loved one’s needs and your own. This is key to not burning out as a caregiver.
A home health aide can help ease your worries and give you peace of mind. With VNS Health, you can know that your loved one is in good hands.
Does Insurance Cover Personal Care Services?
In most cases, Medicare covers home health aide services only when ordered by a doctor as part of a care plan. Medicare does not cover long-term home health aide services or personal care.
VNS Health aims to make home health aide services accessible and affordable. We offer various payment options, including paying privately, private long-term care insurance, and several Medicaid Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans. If you’re eligible for MLTC, we can help you get enrolled in one of the plans we accept. Call us at 1-888-943-8435.
