Tag: future

Hiring a Caregiver You Can Trust

Posted on by genushealth Posted in for givers of care, For the receiver of careTagged , , , , ,

It can be so overwhelming deciding what kind of outside help to hire for your aging loved one.  Who should you hire?  How do you find them?  Are they qualified?  Can they be trusted to care for your parent?  What questions should you ask?  What is the cost?  How do I find the best care possible for my parent?

Once you start your research, it is easy to get overwhelmed with all the information out there.  Agencies that earn their money by recommending specific home-care agencies are available BUT they only refer those agencies that pay them a fee.  There are so many of these “placement agencies” ….. Home Instead, A Place for Mom, AgingCare, care.com…. the list goes on.   Talk to your friends to see what they have used and get recommendations.  Use social media to solicit recommendations.  The agencies they recommend can vary from location to location.   Agencies are run by local owners, so getting some advice from local friends and family about local agencies they have had success with is invaluable.

At-home caregivers generally fall into three categories:
  • Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs)
    • have some medical training and must pass an exam to get a license. They usually work under the supervision of registered nurses. In home care nurses can check vital signs, care for wounds, and help with everyday activities such as bathing and eating

(you’ll often hear these referred to as “activities of daily living,” or ADLs)

  • Home Health Aides
    • generally assist with ADLs. And personal care attendants (PCAs)
  • Personal Care Attendants. (PCAs)
    • also sometimes called personal companions, assist with household chores such as cleaning, cooking and shopping

The job descriptions of these caregivers can overlap considerably, and they’re often referred to interchangeably.  You will need to decide whether to go with an established agency or hire a private home-care worker.  Both have advantages and disadvantages.   Of course with an agency you will usually find licensed care workers, but you will also pay more money than private care, in general.   However, with a private homecare worker, you often get more personalized attention.

Valuable Links for Finding the Best Outside Help

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) is the best place to start when looking for home-care agencies.  They are a government service that is not affiliated with one agency over another.  This link will take you to eldercare.gov which is a affiliate of n4a in which they recommend agencies that provide outside help.  https://www.n4a.org/hcbs

When considering an agency, you may want to check out this article and the corresponding links from the National Association for Home Care and Hospice.   They list some great questions to ask when interviewing home-care agencies as well as a database of agencies.

Whether hiring a private home-care provider OR an agency, here is a list of questions to consider as well.  This article provided by the Mayo Clinic breaks down the questions depending on whether you are going with private care or agency care.  This is a good article to read in helping you to decide which course of care to take.

Finding the best home care for your loved one can be a daunting task, but if you are armed with the proper information and questions, it will make the job a bit easier.  Remember to involve your home care aides in the use of the genusConnect™ App.  Their use will provide you with the best up to date information on the care of the patient as well as provide you with tools to make your job easier.   The home-care workers will love the feedback you can leave them within the app.  genusConnect™ provides you with a valuable communication tool to help you provide the best care, together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming Soon: Finance Module

Posted on by genushealth Posted in Finance, Future, Future modulesTagged ,

The finance module is coming soon to genusConnect™. With the finance module, you’ll be able to:

  1. Add a financial partner like a bank, financial planner, or accountant.
  2. Submit potential financial partners to the database for review.
  3. Show all account balances for the person of care.
  4. View and break down expenses in the chart form of your choosing.
  5. See periodic recommended services from the genusConnect™ network, check out news and more.

Coming Soon: CaREpay

Posted on by genushealth Posted in Carepay, Future, Future modulesTagged ,

CaREpay is coming soon to genusConnect™. With CaREpay, you’ll be able to:

  1. Enter a bill either by entering in information or taking a picture of it with your device.
  2. Arrange to have bills emailed to you and auto-populated in your caREpay module on behalf of your person of care.
  3. Pay bills directly from your device through your bank account or credit card.
  4. Submit receipts for expenses incurred for the person of care and post them for the other network members to review.
  5. Request assistance from one or more other network members for payment with a bill. Bills can be split among two or more members.
  6. View a complete history of bills payed by all network members.
  7. View a copy of the a bill.
  8. Enter bills using your device’s camera and logged into the system.

Coming Soon: Voice Companion

Posted on by genushealth Posted in Future, Future modules, Voice companionTagged ,

Voice companion is coming soon to genusConnect™. With voice companion, you’ll be able to:

  1. View a complete history of logged voice commands from your voice companion.
  2. Manage the different personalities available on your voice companion.
  3. Set up medicine reminders for the person of care.
  4. Set up programmed health tips for the person of care.
  5. Send a message to the person of care through your voice companion.

Coming Soon: Concierge Module

Posted on by genushealth Posted in Concierge, Future, Future modulesTagged ,

The concierge module is coming soon to genusConnect™. With the concierge module, you’ll be able to:

  1. View our vast list of partners, with whom necessary services are only a touch away. From the concierge module, you can request varying degrees of service to the person of care’s location. From home care visits to flower delivery, the genusConnect™ concierge allows you to book and pay for services right from the app. The list of services continues to grow as we build strong relationships within the caregiving industry.

Have a service or product that would be a good fit for genusConnect™? Contact us today to get your business listed.

Coming Soon: Safety Module

Posted on by genushealth Posted in Future, Future modules, SafetyTagged ,

The safety module is coming soon to genusConnect™. With the safety module, you’ll be able to:

  1. Pair Bluetooth® appliances to your genusConnect™ app and monitor whether the appliance is on and, if so, for how long.
  2. Monitor doors with with Bluetooth® sensors to review if they’re opened or closed.
  3. Monitor windows with with Bluetooth® sensors to review if they’re opened or closed.
  4. Use genusConnect™ to monitor home temperature using the latest popular hardware on the market.
  5. Install motion detectors to keep track of movement within the residence. Movement history can be tracked from within your genusConnect™ app.
  6. View camera details and monitor network cameras from within your genusConnect™ app.

Coming Soon: Locations Module

Posted on by genushealth Posted in Future, Future modules, LocationsTagged ,

The locations module is coming soon to genusConnect™. With the locations module, you’ll be able to:

  1. Monitor the community’s location in relation to the person of care.
  2. View duration of time the person of care has spent at their current location.
  3. Check the location of the person of care.
  4. See who the closest caregiver is and how far away they are.