Things you Should Know

Assisted living services offer incredible benefits and opportunities to individuals and their family members. When you are given a wonderful alternative to institutionalized assisted living services and the chance to stay at home with your loved ones, how could you not grab it right? However, in today’s day and age, you are usually presented with countless choices on in home assisted living agencies that make the task of choosing the right one, at times, too difficult to make. The following resources may provide you some necessary insight, as well as the much-needed answers to your questions about live in assisted living services in Darien and the surrounding areas.

Call us for a free assessment today to get started with services for live in home assisted living in Darien and the surrounding areas! Simply dial 1-800-578-4554. You may also send your inquiries to customerservice@sagehomecare.com.

Two Types of In Home Assisted Living Agencies

There are two types of Home Assisted Living Agencies and they are determined by the inclusive services (skilled or non-skilled), the professionals who provide them, and the payment options available to the client. The two primary types of agencies are Medical Home Health Agencies, which provide skilled home health services, and Non-Medical Assisted Living Services Agencies, which facilitate mostly non-skilled services.

• Medical Home Health Agencies: Services provided by such agencies are ordered by a physician. These services include skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and medical social services. Home Health Agencies need to be licensed by the state as well. Payment for services can be coursed through 3rd party reimbursements such as Medicare, Medicaid, and other private health insurance plans.
• Non-Medical Home Assisted Living Agencies: These agencies offer supportive services that cover activities of daily living, homemaking, and companionship. A personal attendant for an elderly loved one will help with bathing, toileting, preventing falls, minor housekeeping tasks, and transportation arrangements. Services are usually paid by the client out-of-pocket especially for essential homemaking tasks like personal hygiene assistance, meal preparation, and companionship.

Assisted Living Services Benefits: Family Personal Attendants Can Have Respite
When one of our own loved ones fall ill or grow too old to maintain their own needs, without a doubt, family members will step up to become personal attendants. Oftentimes, being the personal attendant for an elderly loved one involves nonstop supervision and responsibilities. This causes family personal attendants to feel overwhelmed or burned out in the long run. However, with assisted living services, family personal attendants can finally get respite because a professional personal attendant will be watching over their loved one, take a break from personal attendant duties, and have time for themselves. After taking a breather, going on a weekend holiday, or even getting a full night sleep, they can get back to caring for their loved one with more energy and a renewed sense of duty as their loved one’s personal attendant. Assisted living services not only ensure that the client or the elderly individual’s needs are met, but it also extends its benefits to family personal attendants by way of temporary respite.

Choosing a Quality Service Provider
You simply can’t choose an assisted living services or home health agency off the bat. There are a lot of things to consider before you finally settle on a personal attendant for elderly loved ones. See to it that the agency you’ve chosen directly hires their own staff, rather than hire independent contractors. Hiring independent contractors will often put the burden on the client when it comes to paying taxes, securing insurance, and making arrangements for worker’s compensation. However, if you choose a reputable agency with its own permanent staff, you have the assurance that compensation, taxes, and benefits are paid for by the agency and not you. Furthermore, an agency can also provide relief staff when the personal attendant originally assigned gets sick or goes on leave.

Assisted Living Services Agencies Partnering with Hospice

Usually, hospice does not provide 24/7 service in the client’s home. To address the need for uninterrupted services, we turn to family members and professional personal attendants to fulfill the client’s needs. Personal attendants can also monitor the client’s health changes and report any significant developments to the family or the physician.

Assisted Living Services are Not Covered by Insurance

It is typical for assisted living services to be paid for by clients using out-of-pocket funds or a reverse mortgage. Because assisted living services are non-medical in nature, it is not covered by insurance. However, please note that if you have a long-term care insurance, some assisted living services may be covered. To be sure, check with your insurance provider to determine exactly which assisted living services are covered so you can make informed decisions when choosing your assisted living services provider.