Making Sure Your Respite Care is Quality CareThe first thing you should do when checking
out a respite service that is provided by an organization or
organized program is to check to see if they are licensed by the
state and if those caregivers who will be utilized are qualified to
do the skills that are required by the loved one to receive the
care. The first thing you should do when checking out a respite service that is provided by an organization or organized program is to check to see if they are licensed by the state and if those caregivers who will be utilized are qualified to do the skills that are required by the loved one to receive the care. The credentials can be verified during an initial interview by asking about the following: How many service hours the family can use? Is the person doing the care responsible for more than one "patient or client" at a time? Is it possible for the family members to meet the actual individuals who will be providing the care for the purpose of conducting an interview? Is there transportation made available for the individual receiving care or for the caregiver who is being relieved with the respite care?
Are there any files kept on the person receiving the respite care that contain medical condition, or a care plan? How are the individuals screened for the job of giving respite care? If training is provided for those who will be giving the respite care, who does the training, what is the training pertaining to and how often is the respite workers trained? Is there any supervision of the respite workers and if so, how are they supervised and how often do they receive evaluations? What is the cost of the respite care and what does it include? How much time is required to reserve respite care services? How are emergency situations handled? How is the respite program evaluated? Are family members who have used the respite care asked to fill out feedback forms? If feedback forms are available from past respite families ask to see and read these forms so you can know what past clients think about the quality of respite care given.
Are there references available that you can check? Are those giving respite care familiar with the condition that your loved one has? Have they cared for individuals with this condition before?
When are the respite services available? Is there a back-up plan in case the individual who is supposed to be doing the respite care gets sick or for other reasons is unable to do the respite care? Issues with Caregivers
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