In-Home Caregiving Assistance – Agency versus Private Health Care Pros and Cons

When people start out giving care to a sick family member, they usually assume that they will be able to handle the responsibility on their own and on an ongoing basis. In reality, however, this is seldom the case. Often, people who require care deteriorate in their health, and as time passes, more and more care is needed. If the patient requires care because of a chronic injury, although their situation may not get worse, it will certainly not improve over time. No one can commit to giving care alone for the rest of their lives. Part of being a good caretaker is enlisting help when you need it. When you need sustained, long term help to take some of the burden off of you, you have two main choices: agency health care and private health care. Each decision has its pros and cons – the right one for you depends on your needs and situation.

For many people, agency health care is the way to go. When you deal with a health care agency, it is similar to dealing with a temp agency or employment agency. They will have a number of caregivers on their books that they have vetted for qualifications, and they can send you the kind of person you need to help out. Most of these agencies have people with different qualifications, such as people who have experience dealing with dementia patients or people who are used to dealing with a patient who requires complete personal care like bathing and dressing.

You can let them know your priorities and they can send someone to meet your requirements. Because they have already done the legwork for you, if you find a reputable agency, then you can relax in the knowledge that the caregiver you are hiring is dependable, safe and will give the patient 100% care and compassion. The agency also handles the paychecks and the taxes, which takes another burden off of you and keeps your own tax situation simple. Some insurance plans will cover part of the charges of working with one of these agencies.

There are some downsides to using an agency, however. First of all, although you can certainly speak up and say you don’t like a particular caregiver, you still have to choose from their pool of works instead of finding people yourself. Also, you are unlikely to deal with only one caregiver when you work with an agency – they may send a different person daily. While this means you never have to worry about being left in a lurch when someone is sick, it can also be confusing to the patient to see a new face every day.

If dealing with an impersonal agency is not for you, then you may want to consider your private health care options. With private health care, you are in charge of finding the caregiver yourself. You do the interviews and the background checks, so you get the peace of mind of knowing that you have checked everyone out to your satisfaction. Working with one private caregiver means you and the patient can bond with them and feel comfortable depending on them.

The downsides to this approach, however, are some of the things that also make it attractive. Sure, you get to choose the caregiver yourself – but do you really know how to check those references adequately? Since you are the boss, you’ll have to handle contracts, wages and taxes. Having one caregiver is ideal, but if they’re sick, you’re stuck. Also, insurance seldom pays for private home help. There are no easy choices when hiring care giving help, and the final decision depends on your circumstances. Researching both options is the best way to figure out what will work for you.

The Candidates' Health Care Plans and You

(NewsUSA) - Health ranks second only to the economy among the top domestic concerns cited by Americans in recent national polls. And it's no wonder. Health care issues are coming home to a greater number of Americans.

Why has health care become so prominent? Health care spending outpaces economic growth. In 2006, the U.S. spent $7,026 per person on health care. Since 1999, health insurance premium costs have grown faster than wages, forcing people to spend an increasingly large percentage of their income on health insurance. Likewise, Americans are seeing dramatic increases in their deductibles and co-payments for covered services.

In fact, an April 2008 Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that nearly three in 10 people earning between $30,000 and $75,000 annually reported problems paying for health care and insurance. Nearly four in 10 reported that, due to health care costs, they had to skip a recommended test or treatment, failed to fill a prescription, cut pills or skipped doses, or had problems getting mental health care.

Meanwhile, the number of Americans who are uninsured has jumped from 45 million in 2006 to 47 million today.

Republicans and Democrats are both concerned about health care, but they view the problem differently.

John McCain and Barack Obama both have proposed health system reforms. McCain's plan calls for using the tax system to provide incentives for individuals and families to buy health insurance. Obama's plan calls for requiring health insurance for all children and for all employers to offer health insurance or contribute a percentage of their payroll toward the costs of a public plan.

Neither plan addresses one key issue -; the role of the family physician.

Family physicians provide up to 90 percent of the care that patients need, and they refer patients to specialists for specific health problems. Nearly one in four office visits are made to family physicians -; that's 215 million patients per year.

Increasingly, family physicians are establishing patient-centered medical homes. In this model of care, family physicians lead the health care team in providing preventive care and chronic care management. They ensure the right care at the right time by coordinating patients' medical care with subspecialists when necessary, and they help ensure the exchange of health information among health care team members.

For more information about health care advocacy, visit www.familyhealthadvocate.org/