The Importance of Advanced Care Planning

For those of us who work in the home care field, we definitely see a strong

seasonal increase in the need for services in the first few months of the new

year. This is because when families get together over the holidays, family

members often are surprised at how other (typically elderly parents) have

unfortunately changed with regard to their ability to live independently in

a quality manner.

At that point, families that lack a previously prepared plan of what to do

in this situation, are caught in a “scramble mode” to quickly identify and

provide additional assistance to the affected family member. Considering

this, it is very important for loved ones to proactively initiate and complete

conversations with one another that define the type of care one needs as

they age or encounter a health issue.

This process is formally called Advanced Care Planning and allows one to

make current and future health care wishes known, and to assign someone

trusted to make medical decisions for them if they, due to a disability

or advanced age, are not able. While this process can be easy to put off

and uncomfortable to discuss with loved ones, it has many benefits like

allowing one to have a voice in their medical care when they can’t speak

for themselves, and freeing family members of uncertainty and conflict

regarding medical care decisions.

Advanced Care Planning clearly outlines the type of care a loved one wants

based upon changing needs and settings. For example, it would define

that the person wants to stay in his or her residence until death (with the

assistance of caregivers from a home care agency such as HomeWerks

Home Care) versus being admitted to a nursing home or assisted living

facility once the person reaches a certain point such as limited mobility or

mental function.

The process includes the completion of very important documents such as

a DNR (Do-Not Resuscitate form), Living Will and HCPOA (Healthcare

Power of Attorney form). It is imperative that every individual 50 years of

age or older have these forms completed and shared with loved ones.

Not completing Advanced Care Planning is ironically the reason why

HomeWerks Home Care LLC exists in the first place. Paula and I had a

distant relative who lived in Durham, NC and regretfully did not complete

an Advanced Care Planning process. He became disabled and did not have

any other close family members.

Paula unexpectedly became his health care power of attorney and for 10

years oversaw and directed his health care needs and decisions. It was

from this experience that we saw the need for a different type of agency

to provide home care services in the Raleigh and Wilmington areas. This

led us to start HomeWerks Home Care LLC in 2010, which is committed

to providing high quality services customized and tailored for each client.

Home Care & Advanced Care Planning

From operating this business for over 10 years, we have found that most

people (including Paula and I) want to stay in their own homes as they age.

At some point, though, this will likely require the assistance of in-home

caregivers.

For someone who has completed Advanced Care Planning and is selecting

a suitable home care provider, it is very important to ask lots and lots of

questions. We actually hand out to potential clients a list of questions to

ask, like: How do you match caregivers to clients? How do you screen and

hire your caregivers? How do you maintain quality standards as needs

change and keep family members informed?

As part of the Advanced Care Planning process, deciding to initiate home

care services is an important, and often daunting, decision. People seek

home care for many reasons, including short-term help following an

illness or hospitalization, or long-term when the condition is progressive

such as dementia, Parkinson Disease, or cancer. Care is also often sought

to give “respite time” to the existing primary caregiver.

Family caregivers often cannot sustain it for long without negative

repercussions to their own health and well-being. Waiting too long

is human nature, as is denial on the part of the older adult and family

members. Be honest with yourself if you are the primary caregiver: Will

help make things easier? Can you truly provide the best care if you want

to keep the person at home? While acknowledging it is an adjustment to

have a new person in the home, the initiation of home care services can

bring immense improvement in the quality of life to not only the patient,

but also to the family and current primary caregiver(s).

With our roots in Wilmington, Paula and I are excited to be introducing

our company in this community and offering our unique care services to

the residents of Landfall, Wrightsville Beach and the surrounding area.

Please give us a call if you have questions about advanced care planning,

how home care services work and the types of services we offer. We’d be

happy to discuss this with you.

The HomeWerks Home Care Difference

What services does HomeWerks Home Care provide?

HomeWerks provides caregivers who will assist with activities of daily

living (ADL’s) such as bathing, dressing, eating and toileting for those in

need of assistance who live in their own homes. !ese services enable

seniors and those who may be su"ering from chronic or acute disabilities

to safely and comfortably remain in their homes. !ere are two levels of

care provided: 1) a lower-level care for people who are independent when

performing their ADLs but are seeking some companionship and 2) a

higher-level, hands-on approach in which people have more demanding

needs and require tangible care provided by a licensed certi#ed nursing

assistant (CNA). Generally, home care is considered a non-medical ser-

vice since a registered nurse isn’t provided and therefore is di"erent from

medical home health care, in which an actual nurse can complete such

tasks as wound care and administering IV’s.

What are the benefits of home care?

Besides allowing people in need to stay in their residences (which most

people want to do as they age), hundreds of studies have shown that home

care is playing an integral and signifcant part to help bring overall medical

costs down. Documented clinical data has shown a reduction in initial

costs by allowing care to be provided in a home at a fraction of the cost of

an institutional setting, such as in a hospital or nursing home. For those

receiving home care services, any arising health issues and ailments are

able to be identifed at an earlier and more proactive stage and treated

accordingly. !is reduces and/or prevents admissions to hospitals, nursing

homes, and the need for more intensive treatment and supplemental

therapy.

Why use an agency instead of hiring a caregiver directly?

A licensed agency ensures that the company’s care policies and procedures

have been reviewed and approved by the state health board(s) and that

their caregivers are appropriately hired and trained. Going through

an agency assures that the caregiver has been vetted with appropriate

background and reference checks. Agencies like HomeWerks Home Care

have Worker’s Compensation and Liability Insurance policies so you don’t

have to worry about such risks. With a licensed company, you also have

qualifed replacements should an aide be unavailable, along with sta"

management and oversight to respond to unplanned situations.

How is HomeWerks Home Care different from other

home care companies?

HomeWerks Home Care is not a franchise home care agency. We are a

locally founded, family-owned home care agency created solely to provide

each of our clients in the Wilmington area the most personalized home

care services based upon his or her limitations and needs. When using

a caregiver from HomeWerks Home Care, you can be assured that the

caregiver will deliver care based upon how YOU, the client, wants it, not

based upon a large company’s requirements.

Given our customized approach, HomeWerks Home Care will make every

effort to match the caregivers to the client, with respect to needs, skills

#t, interests, demographic and cultural factors. HomeWerks Home Care

would rather invest in our most important resource — our caregivers.

Even though our service rates are very competitive, we pay our caregivers

a signifcantly higher average pay rate compared to most other agencies.

!is fosters motivated caregivers and less employee turnover (and more

intimate, long-term relationships between caregiver and client).

If you have long-term care insurance, HomeWerks Home Care is approved

and certi#ed by most insurance companies to provide services whose costs

may be reimbursed back to you.

Our agency is all about quality not quantity. It may sound like a cliché, but

we don’t want to be the biggest agency, but rather have the absolute best

reputation in providing high quality services to a select group of clients.

We will not take on new clients unless we are con#dent that we can provide

new care services that continue to meet our high quality standards.

Homewerks Featured in Wilmington Magazine

We are thrilled to announce that Homewerks Home Care has been featured in the December 2023 issue of Wilmington Magazine! This feature highlights our commitment to providing top-notch home care services and our dedication to the community we serve.

In the article, you'll find insights into how we tailor our services to meet the unique needs of each client, along with personal stories from our staff and the families we assist. It's a great reflection of what we stand for and the impact we have on our community.

Click here to read our feature in Wilmington Magazine!

We invite you to read the full article and learn more about our passion for caring and excellence.