Ibqh001 International Board For Quality In Healthcare Exam Guides

IBHQ is dedicated to ensure each health care worker can able to deliver the service in high quality through giving the basic learning needed. BHQ programs are made to aid the professionals in providing quality services. It is professionals certifications that test the skills and knowledge of health care staffs. Before you may register for the exam, you must read a few handbooks and FAQs in their site. The program from BHQ targets all staffs of different educational level of health care.
IBHQ visions are made to enhance the skills plus increase the number of higher featured professions in giving health cares worldwide. The IBHQ missions are directed to guarantee that each health care staffs or employee can deliver the quality of service to the needing patient. Everyone who aims to give health care service in good quality such as intern doctors, company doctors, dentists, pharmacists, medical students, veterinary doctors, paramedical, managers, and nursing graduates.
How to Take the IBHQ001 Exam?
Firstly, you have to make an online account. Before you schedule the certification exam online, you should make an account with the PEARSON VUE intended for testing programs so as to sponsor the exam you need to take. Put your name, address and personal email add. Make sure to place your real name as it shows from the personal identification. This is use to check your identity on test center for the International Board for Quality in Healthcare exam. Place your email adds as well and confirms. This is vital so you can book for the exam.
Place your demographic info. You must fill in the state, postal code plus country code. The following are needed to be filled in:
City
Address
State
Postal or zip code
Telephone number
Then answer the related questions in the testing program. A lot of testing programs request for some extra info about you that are vital and significant. Take note that if a testing program doesnt have further questions, then it will skip automatically to the succeeding page.
You ought to choose for your username. This will allow you to access your online account. Then check the confirmation page. The page gives you a hint to check your mail that contains your password.
IBHQ001 exam is being prepared with the online study guides and preparation materials. You can find a lot of legit providers for the exam review or can even download brain dumps and PDF questions and answers to help you get ready for the examination. You can find free reviewers online but some of these are irrelevant, thus will only waste your time and effort.

Health Care Reform, and the Obama Road to Socialism (Ruin)

Life and Health Quote and ApplyI am only interested in speaking with those who indicate that they are in the market. So dont worry about the contact points, I wont contact unless you initiate a request for consultation. Thank you.

I have been promising to write an article on the Health Care reform items that became law September 26th since probably September 1, 2010. Because I have not in fact produced the article, one may consider that I am procrastinating.Although I have written many original articles and spun many others onto my blogs for post fodder, since that time, there is only one issue that has prevented me adding this article to my portfolio of web based banter. The obvious attempt to move to socialized medicine, which “wouldnt include a public option” distresses me to the point of confusion, over whether I want to educate the public as to why their health insurance bills are going to be going up, or do I want to wax eloquent, on the diabolical and seemingly inperceptible tactic that Our Congressional and Oval Office leadership is using to grind us down the trail to socialist medicine, while enhancing their ultimate goal of creating the Union of Socialist States of America. Having contributed considerable effort to the spread of many carriers free market (and I admit freely, also the medicare based) products into my 5 state jurisdiction, I have decided that there is not much future in continuing that effort, so with this article I am also announcing, that the insurance part of my posting is going to be placed deeper in the site, and perhaps even eliminated, depending on the future course of events, and whether or not we throw some of the communists out of congress this November, and correct our course of action, to one more consistent with the ideals of the founding fathers. In short the insurance agency is gonna be back burnered, and marketing and marketing consulting is going to be my gig going forward, I will keep my tickets in TN and NC, and I will concentrate on my insurance operation again, when it again becomes a useful (read profitable) use of my time and effort.

So the political and economic rant aside, heres what is happening on the Health Care “reform” front.

Effective 23 September, 2010 the following changes were legislated in place, with Obamacare. I am going to take the liberty of pointing out the areas of change which lead to an increase in your direct health insurance premiums. While most of the new rules of the patient protection and affordable health care act (what a nice title for the plan that increases premium costs to a painful amount while telling you what a good deal youre getting) have a grandfather clause, most carriers will not use the grandfather clause, and will comply with the intent of the new legislations spirit, from September 23, 2010 until they leave the business, which will be sooner, rather than later, should the PPACA remain in effect as planned. Oh, wait, our fearless leader did promise you could keep your current plan, didnt he? How is that working out for the McDonalds Franchises work force? Dont worry, only a few hundred thousand more on the uninsured rolls, as we “progress” toward the single payer glory

1.The first new benefit is the elimination of lifetime coverage caps. While that sounds good to the sick or malingering, one should remember that what happens when risk is shifted to the carrier is consistent with economics 101 principles. When the item costs moreyou pay more. This paragraph will add cost to health care plans, in a universal manner. Whether you like this aspect of the legislation, or not.

2.Annual dollar limitations are prohibited, with the exception of restricted annual limitations for “essential benefits” that are increased annually until completely eliminated in 2014. Sounds confusing, but the end result will be effective elimination of these restrictions. Again, sounds nice to those who hate the insurance companies, however, it will increase the cost of your health insurance, as once again the risk rises for the insurance company. Additionally, the limited benefit plans that make a form of insurance affordable for some lower income individuals and families, are likely to disappear, and those costs as a result of uninsured emergency room use, etc. will have to be absorbed somewhere. Strangely enough, adding to our overall health care costs.

3.Recission and Cancellation of coverage is now prohibited, except for fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact. While it is nice that they wrote this down, most carriers in fact already operate in accordance with this concept. The only way you lose most any carriers coverage, is by not paying, funny, but the companies like to have you pay for your insurance. This rule is not likely to adversely effect your premium outlay as much as the others, and it does codify current quality carrier modus operandi.

4.Preventive services. Going forward preventive services will not be considered part of a copay or deductible scenario, all costs for preventive services will be absorbed by the carrier. Again, many quality plans were already absorbing these costs, so those who have the type of plan where this is already in force, will not see an increase in cost due to these factors. And this is certain to sound like it is a benefit to the enrollees, However there will be an increase in the aggregate cost of health insurance due to this portion of the bill, causing premiums to rise.

5.Extension of dependant coverage. From the 23rd of September, 2010 going forward, young adults up to the age of 26 may remain under their parents coverage, either group or individual. While it is wonderful that the student demographic may maintain their dependence on parental coverage for a longer period of time, for the student, the opportunity for quality, independent coverage has existed for a long time. Where this part of the bill is going to increase cost is in the vast majority of the currently insured demographic, where new costs on existing plans are going result in increasing premiums. By now you are starting to get the idea, Obama care really wont drive your healthcare costs down. In either the short term, or the long term, as you will soon see.

6.Appeals Process. Each carrier must have an internal appeals process that allows enrollees to review their files, to present evidence and testimony as a part of their appeals process. Plans must also have an external review. The process must include at least one level of appeal for individuals, with a mandatory turn around time of 24 hours for an initial determination, on urgent care matters. Most carriers are going to have to do some work to comply completely with this section of the law. One aspect of the law that I believe truly reflects the world centrist/socialist ideology of the Obama administration, is the language appropriate caveat, placing the onus onto the carrier for linguistic “appropriateness” read ability to speak to the enrollee in their language, the case for establishing English as our national language notwithstanding. Of course not to mention that the additional requirements mean additional costs, and will help to contribute to the rising cost of Health insurance premiums.

7.Emergency Service. Plans that include coverage of emergency services, are required to provide such coverage, without the need for prior authorization, ensuring that a bloody nose can more easily be parlayed into rhino-plasty on your dime, the providers are going to suffer cost increases as well with this one, as facilities are forced to take in network rates for these services, regardless of the plan carriers payment terms. In reality, most quality plans already had this provision built into their portfolio, however there are costs involved, and putting the caveat on discounted plans will result in fewer of them being here next year.

8.Access to Pediatrictions. This paragraph in the bill requires that children be allowed to have a designated Primary care Physician, (PCP) assigned in their network. There was never anything that really stopped this from occuring in the first place, but it sounds appealing doesnt it? It also provides a parallel paragraph on OB-GYN access, which is also already included in quality plans. Again, so much fluff, but now codified fluff

9.Prohibition on Pre-existing conditions exclusion for Children. If you have young athlete in the family, who has a tendency to visit the emergency room on occaision, or an incurable illness that started from birth or anywhere forward, this addition to the requirements is a redress for you. If you do not have a condition in your family, this is going to cost you anyway. While I am in favor of coverage, regardless of a childs condition, I feel compelled to tell you, that this costs more for the insurance companies to do, and that cost is going to be passed back to the consumer, in the form of higher health insurance premiums.

There are in fact 3 additional areas of law that became effective on the 23rd of September, Uniform coverage documentation and standard definitions, which in effect refers to the language of medical insurance claims; Incurred loss/claim reporting requirements, which will simply be a new accounting format for summary expenses by category; and finally, Loss Ratio Standards, with the inclusion of a mandatory rebate provision for all enrollees in a plan that exceeds loss ratio standards, in other words, the cap on earnings that any plan can attain. While I doubt many rebates will be processed with the addition of all the costs associated with ObamaCare, the end result of this legislation is a guarantee, that private insurers are on their way out of the business.

I am presenting the facts as they stand at present. I am not offering a position, although you may conclude, accurately, that I am not a fan of the PPACA. The fact remains that most of these newly implemented laws will result in increased costs for private insurers. And these increases in cost, will result in higher premiums. If you dont believe me, just stand by and watch, as our private insurers leave the business one by one. Unless we can implement some change, like fire all the socailists we have employed in our government at this moment in time.

As I close my active effort in the health insurance industry, I must offer one last piece of solid advice to my indivdual and self health care plan sponsoring clients, if you are not in an HSA, get in one. The form is going to survive the health care “reform” regardless of its final form. The cost of premiums has been less than traditional plans for years, and the tax advantage of owning one offsets any perceived additional out of pocket risk you may be looking at, if you can do the arithmetic. you will see what it means, I promise, its not even algebra. will fill an interim gap as there is one, as I close I4financial.com, I will put up quoting links on , under the insurance pages section, in a week or two, given time constraints. You will be able to competitively quote all five major carriers I represent, all of whom are in full compliance, Aetna, Assurant, Humana, United HealthcareOne, and BCBS of TN. I will not pull that feature down, until they are all out of the marketplace. Which is inevitable under the current PPACA. I may post short updates to this posting, if there is any activity over on the insurance pages, if there is none to respond to, I will sign off for now, and wish everyone good luckoh and I am going to say it, I have been wanting to for 2 years nowif youre not in an HSA you are not using your head for anything other than a hair growing surface, or lack thereof

Kenneth James Ford
MBA/Entreprenuer/Insurance General Agent/==>Marketing Consultant/Internet Marketer

Mental Health Nursing Jobs – Providing Support to the Community

Mental health nursing is a highly specialised field of nursing that deals with the care of individuals living with mental illness, or who are experiencing severe mental, psychological or emotional distress. There are a number of mental illnesses and disorders that individuals from within the community may experience at any point in their life. Mental health nurses ensure that these clients are cared for in the most nurturing way possible to assist in their ultimate recovery.

To become a fully qualified mental health nurse, individuals must undergo specialist postgraduate training to learn the intricacies involved in the practise of mental health nursing. Much of the focus revolves around their particular clients state of mind. Mental health nurses are constantly working to monitor their clients mental illness by carefully observing the degree of severity in which the patient is experiencing. This information can then be relayed to the supervising physician, and attending doctors to ensure that the correct medication is administered in the particular dosage required. The overall goal for mental health nurses is to provide their client with peace of mind while working towards building that clients balanced state of emotional and cognitive health.

There exist many mental health nursing jobs for qualified candidates in a number of work place settings. Mental health nurses are required and highly demanded in hospital wards, speciality mental health hospices, prisons, mental health government organisations and in community programmes to assist and care for those living with mental illness or disease. Overall there is a high demand for qualified mental health nurses to fill vacant job openings. The career prospects for mental health nurses can only be described positively, featuring a strong job security.

Where there once existed certain social stigmas around the subject of mental health, the dawn of the twenty first century has brought with it advances in the health sector allowing individuals a greater understanding of mental illness and issues. The increase in knowledge surrounding mental health has resulted in a dispelling of many myths and unfounded beliefs that once existed. Mental health is a topic that is continuing to move away from the social stigma it once held, with more individuals feeling more comfortable to discuss openly their personal experiences with mental illness or disease. Individuals also feel more at ease to seek treatment, support and diagnosis.

The increased acceptance and interest in ones mental frame of mind has resulted in a public who has greater awareness of individual mental health needs. The increased awareness brings with it an increase in the need for mental health nurses to fulfil job openings. Qualified mental health nurses that complete the advanced training programmes are considered to be a rich resource for this ever evolving and exciting field of the healthcare sector.

Medicare Fraud and Abuse The Most Profitable Healthcare Crime in the U.S.

Medicare fraud and abuse cost taxpayers approximately $60 billion a year. Its one of the fastest and most profitable crimes in the U.S. The government health insurance program that covers 46 million elderly and disabled Americans is being hijacked by opportunists preying on patients, doctors, suppliers, and lack of oversight of the system itself.

According to President Obama, Medicare fraud and abuse is fueling enormous federal budget deficits. He recently explained that we could pay for healthcare reform if we could eliminate Medicare fraud, abuse, and waste altogether.

Although completely eliminating Medicare fraud isnt entirely realistic, curbing the growing crimes could provide healthcare to many more Americans and stop lining the pockets of the individuals, crime rings, and corrupt healthcare providers that steal a huge amount of the half trillion dollars in Medicare benefits each year.

The instances of Medicare fraud and abuse are as diverse as they are widespread. One recent high-profile case involved an Armenian-American crime syndicate that stole patient and doctor identities to setup dozens of fake clinics. The operation, which is one of the largest Medicare fraud schemes in U.S. history, resulted in over $35 million in illegal billings.

In another Medicare fraud and abuse case, nine hospitals in seven states were ordered to pay $9.4 million in fines for keeping patients overnight after undergoing what is typically an outpatient back procedure. The hospitals fraudulently billed Medicare for the unnecessary services. In still another case, eight nurses in Florida carried out an $18.7 million Medicare fraud scam in which they forged patient files to make it appear that they required home health care services that they didnt need or receive.

Although these are just a few of the many types of Medicare fraud and abuse scams occurring each year, they show the urgent need to be vigilant about preventing Medicare scams. From charging for durable medical equipment (DME) never received to using a deceased doctors information to continue to bill patients, common Medicare fraud and abuse schemes include:

* Advertising “free” consultations to patients with Medicare, and then recording and using their private information for monetary gain

* Offering healthcare services or DME for free in return for a persons Medicare number for “record keeping”

* Setting up fictitious clinics with people impersonating doctors to steal private information and commit medical identity theft is another common Medicare fraud and abuse tactic

* Using real patients data, but without their knowledge, to steal their identities

* Not adhering to the FTC Red Flag Rules that alert the carriers paying the bills

* Fraudulent billing for a wheelchair, specialized hospital bed, or other DME is also a form of Medicare fraud and abuse

* Falsifying claims for expensive procedures is another common tactic, such as the $5.8 million fraudulent HIV infusion scheme in Miami in which a husband and wife team defrauded Medicare by submitting unnecessary HIV injection and infusion claims

Remember that when fraud happens to Medicare, it happens to all of us. Dont let your organization become a victim. Put your employees on the front line to spot Medicare fraud by hiring a healthcare fraud and abuse expert that provides “Lunch and Learn” presentations to help avoid, recognize, and respond to Medicare fraud. Visit www.TheIdentityAdvocate.com. or call 310.831.4400 to learn how to prevent Medicare fraud and medical identity theft.

Healthcare Business Development Services How to Increase Health Care Business

We Healthcare Business Development Strategy for every hospital, physician group and healthcare agencies to improve business and makes work more batter and efficient. Healthcare Business Development We perform a thorough review and analysis of all activities correlated to the development of your organization and develops a comprehensive and fully customized plan to help your business thrive.

Focused Business Development If your company has one or more known “Difficulty” areas, we will focus our hard work on exterminate these barriers and create a step-by-step follow-through plan to strengthen your business development.

Managed Care We help to solve your managed care contacts. We will probe into your accessible practice to discover your strengths and weaknesses and then develop a renegotiation strategy to modernize your efforts and develop your returns.

Financial Arrangement By forging strategic alliances between hospitals, healthcare systems, physicians and other key entities, we create new and improved services, an increase in market share and a relief from the pressures of ever-increasing capital needs. We’ll structure, negotiate and implement these partnerships so you can reap the financial rewards.

Business Market Analysis When recommendations and plans are not developed in the context of your own market, they are doomed to failure. We do extensive quantitative and qualitative research to ensure that the desired results are obtained.

As a physician-owned practice, a large or small hospital or a specialty healthcare institution, you know it takes careful planning and innovative thinking to move your enterprise forward. The question is, with the many demands you face on a daily basis, will you be able to find the time to implement change? Even more importantly, do you have the expertise?

Enlightening information, a no-nonsense approach and the ability to invigorate your business in ways you may never have imagined; this is the essence of R&L Healthcare Advisors. With the expertise to manage, facilitate and guide any-or all-aspects of your organization, we are a valuable resource for a wide range of clients.

For custom solutions that combine expert analysis, visionary thinking and hands-on implementation designed to harness the opportunities of today’s changing landscape, R&L stands apart. We’ll make sure your enterprise does too

The Benefits of Companion Care for the Elderly and Disabled

Companion care of our aged and handicapped loved ones has been difficult and challenging as you are forced to make important decisions on how to provide home medical care. In this case, you may be stressed out and exhausted by the difficulty in managing time for commitments and other life activities. However, you cannot become a hero as taking care for the elderly and disabled is challenging. Home nursing and community nursing services can help you manage precious time and resources thereby improving the health and medical condition of the patient. You actually have two choices, face the burden to provide companion care or hire a home nursing agency to help.

The Real Facts

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2003 report, there are 3.96 million (20% of the population) people have disabilities including 86% with specific limitations or restrictions. Accordingly, there are 3.35 million (16.9% of the population) people 60 years old and above including 51% with disability. These are glaring facts that show the significant number of elderly and disabled in Australia.

Statistics also show that majority of the elderly and disabled are living on their own with 2.83 million (14.3% of the population) people with disabilities including 1.38 million (7% of the population) elderly people with disabilities that need assistance with personal and other everyday activities. These statistics only goes to show that there is a growing need for companion care, home healthcare and community nursing services.

The Australian and state governments have established funded community care programs, Home and Community Care and Community Options Program, for people needing home healthcare services.

The Benefits of Companion Care

There is a big demand for personal care attendant services with a specific focus on companion care. Personal care workers are trained caregivers can act as the primary support for families with disabled or elderly loved ones. Aside from that, personal care attendants are much cheaper alternatives of registered nurses. They provide hands-on assistance with bathing, grooming, and dressing.

Companion care involves activities of daily living by assisting the patient to take a bath, dress, eat and walk, do light housework, meal preparation, take medications, shop for groceries or clothes, use the telephone and manage money.

More importantly, home nursing is much cheaper than institutionalised assisted living. The patients can still live in their own household but get similar services offered in nursing homes. Other than that, there is a much better interactive relationship between the caregiver and the patient. On the other hand, home care nurses are specially trained for certain home nursing services such as ambulatory care, paediatric care and geriatric care. They have the knowledge and experience in providing medications, monitoring nutritional intake and handling emergency medical situations.

For some patients suffering from specific disabilities, other healthcare providers provide specialists that include respiratory and occupational therapists, social workers and mental health workers.

The Necessity of Companion Care

There is a significant population of elderly and disabled in Australia and a greater need for quality home healthcare and companion care more than ever. Without reliable home nursing and home medical care services, the health of so many elderly and disabled would be jeopardised.

Medigap California to Help You On Your Healthcare Matter

The important information that you should know before you start reading this page: Medicare does not cover the whole cost of healthcare desired by mature adults. It takes care of few things like ingoing hospital costs and the related expenses that come with it. This is the reason to think about a supplementary plan that may help you in the time of emergency. Medicare supplement insurances are planned to help you this way.

Now, as a citizen of California, you may know the survey report that says: it was 157% increase of mature adults (defined as 60 years or older people) in 1950-1990 in California. In 2010, it would come in a 1:5 ratio e.g. one mature adult in each 5 Californians. It is the expectation that the percentage would be increased about 232% by 2040. It means 12.5 million people would be mature adult on 2040 in California. What would be the scenario of Medical supplement insurance by that time in California? Everybody would have run for the best Medicare supplement plan which would seem like a challenge. To get rid of this challenge, try to manage Medigap California now!

Its time to know few things that would help to set your mind and decide to choose the best Medicare supplement insurance for you. It may cause a disappointment that California government does not play a direct role to solve out the problem yet. There is no governmental practice to help on Medicare supplement plans. However, you would find ample of Medicare supplement insurance companies who have hold a good package. Do not hurry but take your time to compare between all the Medicare supplement insurance companies to find out the best one for you.

The first thing you can do is to contact with the agents of the companies to learn about their schemes. It would be easier if you can understand the attitude of the agent properly to understand the market position of the company from whom you are going to by your Medigap California. If the agent takes time to reply you about their schemes or cannot clear up everything properly do not go for the company. Avoid those who ask you to find out the details from their web pages. Try not to be involved with those who have a complicated procedure. Choose the agent who has a clear vision on the matter with a simple procedure and provide you the quote of the Medicare supplement plans of the company quickly with his/her telephone no and email address.

If you are done with this much it would be easier to do the rest. Go through all the Medicare supplement plans of the company. If you cannot decide alone you may take help of the adviser of the social welfare group of your locality. They may help you to compare Medicare supplement plans of the company to choose the best Medicare supplement plan for you. You do not have to be bother for your future anymore; Medigap California is there to take care of the rest.

Benefits Of Choosing Careers For Life – HealthCare Vs Culinary

Building a career is very important for any individual. There are a variety of careers to choose from based on your academic qualifications. Healthcare field is absolutely ideal as an option when it comes to choosing careers for life. Nowadays, this filed is creating quite a stir all over the world because of the various benefits the healthcare professionals enjoy. If you wish to pursue a career in healthcare, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Based on the below mentioned benefits you will get a clear view on how Healthcare careers can build a solid foundation to your success. Some of the benefits of choosing careers for life in healthcare are as follows:

Better Job Opportunities: A lot of job opportunities are available for an individual who is looking for a career in the healthcare field. The major reason is that a large number of elderly people need more healthcare facilities due to their old age and sickness problems. A career in healthcare helps you to treat their problems and grievances and you also contribute a helping hand to the society. Whereas in a culinary career, although the job opportunities are good, youll not be contributing in any special way to the society apart from satisfying the customers taste buds. Usually the job opportunities start from an entry level position with a low salary package. So if you want to compare on better prospects with choosing careers for life, healthcare is most definitely the preferred field.

A Great Salary Package: Careers in healthcare field are offered with an excellent pay package. As the demand for practitioners is attaining newer heights, many hospitals and other healthcare facilities are willing to pay competitive wages and other benefits like insurance, retirement benefits and much more. Being a culinary graduate, it all depends upon your potentiality and hard work. Though some jobs offers come with a pay scale ranging from $8.50 to $15.00 per hour, it again depends on how you perform in the industry. The hard workers or the efficient ones can earn up to $36000 annually depending on your level of education or if you land up with a job in one of the best restaurants. While choosing careers for life, if your vital factor is a better pay scale, the best option for you is to join a healthcare course and reap the benefits of a healthy pay package and a better position in a professional field.

Suitable Work Hours: The best perk an individual can avail in the healthcare field is choosing the working hours that fit into his schedule. If you are a nocturnal, then you can work the night shifts since many hospitals provide round the clock services to their patients. On the other hand, culinary careers do not usually provide round the clock services to their customers, unless you are working in top rated restaurants. There is no option provided for working in shifts if you are employed in a small restaurant or a hotel.

Choosing careers for life in the healthcare field is a better option since they provide you the perfect platform to begin your desired professional life. The above benefits will take you on the right path when it comes to choosing careers for life. Making the right decision at the early stages and you can shape up your future more beautifully.

Talking to Your Loved One About In Home Care Part 1

Talking to your loved one about in home care can be a rewarding experience if approached in the right way. The most important thing to remember is that in home care isn’t just about any particular individual; it’s about the whole family. Everyone involved in the care of an elderly family member has a significant emotional and time/resources investment that should be taken into consideration, but ultimately the person’s needs who matter the most are those of the senior in question. Learning how to talk about in home care with your loved one might make the difference between principled resistance and grateful acceptance.

Prepare Yourself with Information

If you need help caring for an elderly loved one, in home care is likely the best solution possible – and one that most families can afford. But there are a number of questions that your family will naturally want to ask when you broach the subject, and if you can’t provide accurate answers your idea may be dismissed. Therefore, the best place to start is by contacting a professional in home care agency. You’ll want to ask the following:

How much independence will be retained?
Who are your employees/caregivers, and how are they selected?
Can you provide relief/vacation care when other caregivers are temporarily away?
What services are provided? Incontinence care? Medication management? Feeding/grooming/mobility, etc?
Is the in home care provider trained to handle emergencies?
What type of contract or service agreement is provided?
Is the agency properly licensed and insured?
What happens if the assigned care provider isn’t able to work as a result of illness or other problems?
What are the fees/costs?
What happens when the level of care needed changes?
Will in home care progress to hospice care, or is that a separate service we’ll need to arrange?

There may be other questions that you and your family will want to ask, so consider taking some notes about what those concerns are to be sure they are all thoroughly addressed when you make the call to your local in home care agency.

Talk to Other Family Members First

Before having a serious discussion about the options available for in home care with your loved one, it may be wise to mention the issue to key family members and obtain feedback. Regardless of their specific opinion on the matter, keeping everyone informed and openly communicating about the need for help with senior care is a critical part of the decision making process.

It may be helpful to approach the subject from the standpoint that anyone involved in the direct daily care of your loved one is bound to develop a certain level of companionship with them. In fact, leading professional in home care agencies provide companionship as a fundamental part of their services. Therefore, the entire process should be a well-informed concerted effort because of the personal aspect involved in the care of your elderly loved one.

To learn more about how to talk to your loved one about in home care, please refer to Part 2 in this article series, where we’ll discuss how to explain things to your family, the senior in question, and how to successfully integrate a caregiver into your home. The first step is the most important, and that’s the fact that you’ve begun gathering information.

The Best Tips for Healthcare Professionals to Fight Flu Season

Healthcare professionals run a much higher risk of becoming ill during flu season than the average person, simply because they are exposed to many more people who are sick. Now that H1N1 has made the flu a more serious issue, particularly for young children and aging seniors, it is a bigger public health concern than in past years. Healthcare professionals have many options for fighting the flu this time of year, but the three big ones are immunization, immune system boosting and hand washing.
Immunization
The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved a trivalent vaccine, which prevents influenza A, influenza B and H1N1. The FDA recommends that all healthcare workers get vaccinated before flu season to avoid getting sick when the illness peaks. All other people who live with or care for people who are at high risk for getting the flu are also urged to get immunized. Children under the age of five and seniors over the age of 65 are considered the biggest -at-risk- groups among the general population.

Immune System Boosters
There are many ways to keep your immune system strong during flu season. The most common-sense piece of advice for any healthcare professional is to take care of yourself. If you fail to get enough rest, eat enough, drink enough water or spot illnesses early on and act appropriately, you run the risk of running your body ragged. It’s particularly important to eat a balanced diet before and during flu season. Antioxidants, B vitamins, vitamins A and C, folate-rich foods and other immune system boosters will work wonders for combating the flu, colds and other illnesses. And while you’re at it, a little exercise never hurt anyone. It helps keep your body strong and resilient. .

Don’t Forget to Wash your Hands
Hand washing is an absolutely essential component of avoiding influenza. As a healthcare professional, you already have to wash your hands multiple times every day at work – pretty much every time you touch something or someone – but the hand washing shouldn’t stop when your shift is over. The habit of frequent hand washing in warm, soapy water may often be taken for granted, but it should never be forgotten. It is especially important to wash your hands every time you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Keep some antibacterial hand-wipes around just in case – you won’t be sorry.

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