Are you concerned about a parent’s safety due to health changes? Is caring for your spouse or partner increasingly difficult? Or do you need a little help at home as you recover from an injury or hospital stay?
A home health aide from VNS Health may be just what you need.
What Is a Home Health Aide?
Home health aides are caring, capable individuals who can:
- Assist with tasks such as personal grooming and meal prep
- Provide medication reminders
- Help you move safely in your home or around your neighborhood
- Provide companionship
A home health aide may come for a few hours a week or every day. Aides may be part of a care team as you recover from an illness or surgery, or part of a hospice care team.
Home health aides are often part of a long-term care plan for personal care, supporting individuals with dementia or other chronic conditions and their caregivers.
Most importantly, home health aides can help keep you or a loved one safe, ease your worries, and give you peace of mind. With VNS Health, you’re in good hands.
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 Does a Home Health Aide Do?
A home health aide provides services for people who need help with daily activities and physical care.
Home health aides assist people who:
- Are elderly or medically frail
- Are recovering from surgery or a stroke
- Have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
- Have physical or developmental disabilities
A home health aide’s primary responsibility is to provide the assistance you or your loved one needs. It’s important to know that they are not housekeepers. However, they can do light housekeeping related to providing care — cleaning up from a meal, for example.
Also, aides are not nurses. They cannot provide medical care (such as giving medicines). However, they can help track symptoms and are able to recognize when medical attention may be needed.
Customized, Private In-Home Care
VNS Health can tailor home health aide services based on your schedule, care needs, and personal preferences.
Home health aide services are available when you want:
- More help than insurance covers
- Someone to stay with you or your parent at night to prevent falls or wandering
- Long-term support to avoid going to a nursing home or other residence
Please call us if you have questions about what kind of support is best for you or your loved one.
On-Going Home Health Aide Care
Most often, home health aides work with the same individuals for months or even years. They develop relationships based on trust and empathy, getting to know likes and dislikes. When this happens, in-home health aide services benefit family members just as much as they benefit the person receiving care. These services allow family members to focus on their other responsibilities, worry less, and find time for themselves.
On-going home health aide services focus on activities of daily living and well-being:
Personal Care
- Bathing
- Grooming
- Help getting dressed
- Oral hygiene
Attention to Well-Being and Safety
- Companionship
- Reminders to take medicine
- Support getting around (such as providing help when you are on a walk or transferring from a wheelchair to a bed)
- Watching for behavior changes that signal sadness, confusion, or memory loss
Short-Term Home Health Aide Services
Home health aides are also available when you need temporary or one-time help. These services include:
Health Care Escorts
Home health aides can assist with travel to and from outings and appointments, including:
- Meeting you at a medical facility after an outpatient procedure
- Accompanying your loved one on shopping trips, cultural events, or social visits
- Assisting with errands, including picking up medications at a pharmacy or getting a haircut
Aides can help with dressing and grooming before an appointment, and they are trained in transferring to and from cars, vans, and busses.
Respite Home Care
Respite care is short-term, temporary care that allows caregivers to take a break and care for themselves. VNS Health offers this level of care for a few hours, a day, or even longer, depending on your family’s needs.
What to Expect from VNS Health
Our team will take time to get to know you — your preferences, cultural background, and daily routines — before choosing the best aide for your needs. We’ll work to match you with someone who speaks your language, understands your customs, and might even know how to prepare your favorite foods.
Your VNS Health home health aide works under the supervision of a registered nurse. As part of your care, the nurse will routinely check in to ensure all is well.
A VNS Health representative is available by phone 24 hours a day, should a need arise.
We Are Committed to Quality
All VNS Health home health aides are certified and insured. Our hiring process is selective and comprehensive, and includes:
- Thorough vetting and background checks: All VNS Health team members, including home health aides, go through a complete background check.
- Extensive training: All VNS Health home health aides receive the 75 hours of training required by the New York State Department of Health — and an additional 30 hours of specialized education. That’s 40% more training than the state requires.
Where Are Home Health Aide Services Available?
VNS Health home health aides are available for people who live in:
- The Bronx
- Brooklyn
- Manhattan
- Queens
- Staten Island
- Nassau County
- Rockland County
- Suffolk County
- Westchester County
Paying for Home Health Aide Services
Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance plans do not always cover home health aide services. If you need services that are not covered, private pay options are available.
VNS Health aims to make private-pay home health aide services accessible and affordable. Our team will work with you to explain your options and help you find a plan that fits your needs and budget.
What does insurance cover?
Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance plans typically cover medically necessary aide services. Medicare and private insurance typically do not cover long-term home health aide services, such as:
- Companionship
- In-home care for someone with dementia
- Respite care
People who need long-term care and have (or are eligible for) Medicaid may qualify for insurance coverage through Medicaid Managed Long-Term Care (MLTC). If you aren’t sure about Medicaid eligibility, call us. We can help you figure out your options.
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