Solutions at Home®
HOME HEALTH AIDES
Home Health Aides from The New Jewish Home support health, safety and comfort for older adults living in their own homes.
WHY CHOOSE THE NEW JEWISH HOME
Nursing and Care Management
Our staff will assess the older adult to assure that the assigned Aide is a good fit for the client and will manage any scheduling issues that may arise. Nursing staff will conduct regular evaluation visits to the senior’s home to create and update individualized care plans, which will guide the Home Health Aide’s provision of care.
Professionally Trained and Licensed
All of our Aides are professionally trained and licensed by the New York State Department of Health and are supervised by our nursing staff. Home Health Aides undergo rigorous background checks, are bonded and receive ongoing training and competency evaluations.
Our Home Health Aides program includes 24/7 access to a clinical service manager if issues or concerns arise.
Home Health Aides services can include:
- Bathing and dressing
- Light housekeeping (laundry, vacuuming, etc.)
- Medication monitoring
- Grocery shopping
- Meal planning and preparation
- Arranging doctor’s visits and other appointments
- Helping the senior eat
- Helping the senior move around their home
In addition to supervising Home Health Aides and providing ongoing evaluations of a senior’s health and well-being, our nursing staff can provide seniors and their loved ones with assistance in coordination of care with physicians and other healthcare providers, home safety assessments and recommendations for addressing any conditions that may impact the senior’s health and independence.
Nurses can provide referrals to additional support services such as occupational and physical therapies. Our staff can also assist with understanding insurance and government benefits, and can help in applying for such benefits.
Best Practices for Specific Health Conditions
The New Jewish Home’s program has developed clinically-proven care pathways to identify and address issues for certain specific health conditions that often impact older adults. These pathways include:
- Falls management
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Heart failure
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Dementia
Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurance options may under certain conditions provide payment for services. Services are also available for private pay clients.
Interested in Home Health Aide services?
Please do not submit job/work inquiries through this form. If you are interested in contacting Solutions at Home for employment opportunities, please check our job listings page.
Call 646-293-3340
To talk to a home care specialist.
Job and Employment Opportunities
If you are looking for Home Health Aide positions please use our employment resource below:
Home Health Aide FAQs
What resources can help me care for my parent or loved one?
Solutions at Home is committed not only to providing services, but also to supporting caregivers and family members of seniors. We offer many options, from resources and links to topical information and tip sheets. We highly encourage using an emergency check-list.
How can I get help for my parents or loved ones?
Call Solutions at Home at 646-293-3340 where one of our experts will listen to your concerns and point you in the direction of the right services within our organization. Our experts will help guide you through the services you might need and help you set up appointments to help you make the right choices about those you care for.
How Do I Care For My Parent or Loved One With a Cognitive Disorder?
Caring for Adults with Cognitive Impairments
There are special caregiving challenges when a senior has slight physical ailments, but is cognitively impaired. Cognitive impairments can be completely different from patient to patient.
Some typical symptoms that caregivers can find frustrating include:
- communication problems,
- aggressive or impulsive behavior
- paranoia
- memory issues
- poor judgment
- wandering
Many of these symptoms may require 24-hour supervision. Some people develop behavioral problems early on, and others can go through their entire illness with only minor incidents.
Eight Tips for Caring for Adults with Cognitive Impairments
It can be daunting to care for an adult who suffers from cognitive impairment.
- Remember to be patient
- Anticipate the ups and downs
- Be compassionate
- Keep your sense of humor alive
- Remember who your loved one was prior to the impairment, and that it is the disease, and not the person, causing the behavior.
- Reminiscing can be therapeutic for both the senior and caregiver, as is singing old songs.
- When communicating, keep your language simple and ask one question at a time. Be patient waiting for responses. Even for the healthy older adult, processing information and organizing thoughts takes a bit longer.
- Medical and social adult day programs can be very helpful in engaging the cognitively impaired senior, offering programs and services to maximize her/his functional abilities.
When is it time to look for a nursing home?
Many seniors transfer to a nursing home after a hospital stay. For others, the need stems from a more gradual decline in health. Today, nursing homes are generally for people who need skilled nursing and 24-hour a day monitoring. Another option, geriatric care coordination, can be just what is needed when care needs overwhelm family caregivers, and can mitigate the need to relocate a senior to a nursing home. When is it time to consider moving to a nursing home? Here are six signs that it is time to consider nursing home care.
- A senior is homebound.
- Living at home is no longer safe for the senior.
- The level of health care and assistance needed is increasing and becoming difficult to provide in the home.
- A senior needs close monitoring because of declining health.
- Other options are exhausted. For example, home care is no longer sufficient and other community based programs do not meet your needs.
- Resources are exhausted (as nursing homes are covered by Medicaid)
In these cases, the medical and social facilities found in nursing homes may well offer the opportunity for the senior to enjoy a better quality of life.
It is always wise to have a complete work-up at either an in- or out-patient geriatric assessment facility, typically sponsored by a hospital and a clinic. The PRI and Screen which is used to determine placement appropriateness can be conducted at home. In fact, it is something that some GCMs can do if they have been certified. The better a caregiver understands the scope of a senior’s decline and its likely trajectory, the greater the likelihood that they will choose a safe, even empowering, fit for the senior.
Here’s more information about nursing homes in Manhattan, Westchester and the Bronx from The New Jewish Home.
Five Factors to Consider When Choosing a Nursing Home
- Consider timing: Most nursing home admissions occur after an unplanned hospitalization. You’ll likely get a list of nursing home choices. You don’t have to take the first available opening, but try to find out how much time you have before a decision will need to be made.
- Organize finances: Organize the finances associated with the possible move, including income, savings, assets, health insurance and long term care insurance, if there is a relevant care policy in place. Speak with all the family members who might play a role.
- Think about medical or special needs: Alzheimer’s, low vision, Parkinson’s, Dementia, and other health conditions may require special accommodations. Talk to your medical provider or our GCM about special needs and screen the homes you are considering for their ability to meet these special accommodations.
- Remember, Location is key: A nursing home as close as possible to the most visitors, including family members and friends, is ideal.
- Consider individual wants and needs: The preferences and background of the person who will be living in the nursing home is an important consideration. What does he or she want and need? What features will contribute to the overall quality of life?
Is it safe to have strangers in the home providing care?
What goes on behind closed doors is an understandable concern, especially if the senior has some cognitive loss or feels dependent on the homecare worker. Home health aides available through Solutions at Home are certified, bonded and licensed, and supervised by nurses. Home health aides go through a rigorous application process including reference and background review, including criminal record checks. As employees of The New Jewish Home, Solutions at Home home health aides receive ongoing in-service training to keep their skills up-to-date with industry practices.
What does a Home Health Aide do?
Solutions at Home’s Home Health Aides provide senior care at home by assisting with eating, dressing, oral hygiene, bathing, colostomies, medication reminders, etc. They may also provide homemaker services, such as light cleaning, meal preparation, laundry, and escorting seniors to appointments and activities.
What’s the difference between Solutions at Home and hiring a home health aide myself?
The package of a la carte services available through Solutions at Home makes it easy for you to find someone to help your parent or loved one stay home and live independently. We provide and supervise licensed, bonded, experienced certified home health aides who can support a full range of senior needs, from providing personal care (i.e. bathing, feeding) to household chores to medical support and overnight supervision.
If you decide to hire a home health aide on your own, be prepared to interview and manage that person, including all the paperwork required of employers.
You’ll want to make sure that person is reputable and dependable. You’ll want to authenticate certifications and licenses, check references, and conduct a background check. Because this person will be your employee, you’ll need to negotiate a salary, need to ensure minimum wage is met, maintain documents, and file local and federal forms. You’ll also need to develop a vacation and sick time policy and arrange for fill-in care. Even if the aide comes well-recommended, they may not be certified or bonded.
The Mayo Clinic offers this guide to selecting home health services
Additional Senior Home Care Services
Nursing and Rehabilitation at Home
Nursing and Rehabilitation at Home supports seniors recovering from surgery or an illness in the comfort and familiarity of their own home. Our team of skilled professionals includes nurses, therapists, home health aides and other dedicated specialists.
Solutions at Home® — Complete In-Home Care
It can be an overwhelming task to arrange and manage care at home for a senior. The New Jewish Home’s Geriatric Care Managers will work with you to create an individualized plan to provide the care and supports seniors need to stay safe and thriving in their own homes.