When you are looking for elderly care services for your loved one, you definitely want to choose the best. Each year, OCS, Inc publishes the HomeCare Elite list featuring 25% of the most successful home care agencies in the United States. The information on elderly home care services provided in this report can be very helpful in choosing the best care possible.

The 2008 HomeCare Elite list of best home health care services will be released on Sunday, October 12 at the National Association of Home Care Annual Meeting in Florida. This list is an important resource for anyone in need of home caregivers, as it recognizes and ranks ‘those agencies whose performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement, and financial performance are the best’.

Some eldercare services featured among the top 100 in the 2007 HomeCare Elite list include :

Home care nurses take care of disabled and elderly patients suffering from chronic illnesses and physical handicaps. In a home medical care setting, these nurses can take care of these patients in the comforts of their homes. Aside from that, they assess the patient’s home and living environment and provide guidance to family members on how to handle the demands of taking care of their loved one. For medical emergencies, they provide immediate ambulatory care and first aid services. Depending upon the patient’s health condition and the attending physician’s prescription, nurses can provide short- or long-term health care services.

Shopping Around for the Best Home Care Nurses and Home Medical Care Provider

With so many home care providers offering the same services in Australia, you have to find a provider that has a proven track record in home medical care. Because a good home medical care provider has dedicated nurses that provide quality medical care. Just like a personal care worker, a home care nurse helps make the life of a patient much better by providing companionship, living assistance and other non-medical services.

Due to the aging of the population, the high costs of staying hospitalized and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases more and more people opt for home health care services.

Home health care is a program in which the lob of medical trained personnel is to take care of sick people that are homebound and can’t go to the hospital. This means that the patient can’t leave home by using his own powers or this action takes a considerable effort for him and should not be done. Most of the services offered by the home health care agencies are of skilled nursing care, or physical, speech and occupational therapy. The patient will have a personal nurse with him, but only part time (mostly for 8 hours a day). Sometimes exceptions can be made and the nurse is allowed to have a longer program with the patient. But if the nurse needs to stay more than four days a week with the patient then a date for the end of the project must be specified. All these rules are different in the USA’s states as they are related to the amount of money home health care patients receive from the state budget.

Numerous job opportunities are available in the fields of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology. Qualified candidates can apply for these lucrative jobs through providers of healthcare staffing and placement services. Therapy professionals have the challenging job of meeting the rehabilitation needs of individuals with physical, mental and emotional disorders. After evaluating the patients’ strengths and limitations, therapists develop and implement appropriate treatment plans, assisted by therapy assistants and aides.

Essential Qualifications

You have to acquire a master’s degree in physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech language pathology to become a therapist. In order to practice in the U.S as therapist, a state-issued license or certification is necessary. To work as therapy assistant, you require an associate degree or must qualify a certification program in the specific therapy. Individuals with a high school diploma can work as aides. Aides are not licensed to do the task of therapist assistants.

Choose the Setting Right for You – Personally and Professionally

Various types of home health care services are available ranging from common care to specialized care. The application of the services essentially depends on the person who is required to avail of them. This person may be an elderly person or a young person with special conditions. Depending on the requirement of the individual and the extent to which families can offer their care, home healthcare service agencies are hired to close up the gap and look after the ailing. Let us explore the types of home health care services.

Physician and Nursing Care
This involves the periodical visit of the specialized physician for examining and determining the condition of the ailing. Nursing care involves a nurse being stationed in order to administer and implement a definite medical care plan as drawn up by the physician in charge. Nursing care also involves monitoring the health of the patient and reporting it to the family and physician on a regular basis.

Physical Therapies
Certain patients require assistance to get back on their feet and perform their day to day activities. Such people are generally victims of some physical traumas causing them physical damages. Care pertaining to dressing, grooming and feeding is required to be provided by the caregiver in addition to other related assistance such as speech therapy or physiotherapy, depending on the ailment.

FIRST-CARE OF NEW YORK Inc. is a New York State Home Care service agency licensed by the New York State Department of Health.  We provide services to: Westchester, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island.

We pride ourselves on our ability to provide customized home care services for all of our patients.  Careful attention is given to identify each patient’s needs; thereby providing effective and affordable services to our patients every step of the way.

Our Areas of Service Include:

Nursing Care
Certified Home Health Aides
Certified Personal Care Workers
Homemakers
Live-In Care

First-Care of New York Advantage:

First Care of New York is licensed by the NYS DOH and accredited by the Joint Commission to provide home care services.

We are contracted with various:

Managed Long Term Care Programs
Long Term Home Health Care Programs
Hospice program
Certified Home Health Agency

Serving :- Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queen, Staten Island and Westchester County.

Advantages :-

Depending on the patient’s needs, if they require assistance with activities of daily living, rehabilitation or skill nursing (pre pour medication, wound care, etc…).  First-Care can facilitate and ensure that proper and immediate care is in place.