Frequently Asked Questions:
1. When does Home Care make sense?
CBI Home Health is committed to caring for our clients as individuals, providing them with the right combination of health and wellness support in the comfort and independence of their own home or setting of their choice. CBI Home Health works with children and adults of all ages and abilities. For these reasons home care can make sense at any point in your life.
Some examples of clients receiving home health include those who:
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Are recovering from an illness, injury or hospitalization and need some additional care and support
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Are interested in getting help to restore their health and /or prevent further disability
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Require some additional assistance with every day needs and activities
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Would like to learn how to better manage their health needs
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Are a family caregiver looking for respite
2. How does Home Health Care work?
Each CBI Home Health client makes the initial call to a local agency to discuss their health concerns/needs. The client's options are discussed including the possibility of qualifying for services from Alberta Health Services (AHS) or Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) or other possible funding methods.
Your care will start with:
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An assessment of your health and support needs provided by a professional health care worker.
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A detailed assessment to identify any health or safety issues along with the signing of a consent form for all services.
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The preparation of a individualized treatment/care plan to assist the client with reaching and maintaining a individual goals and health outcomes.
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Determining the number of visits and visit times which are agreed upon by all parties.
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Excellent, compassionate, client-centric care, where the client lives, learns or works.
Your Ongoing Care Includes:
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Care provided in the environment of your choice by nurses, health care aides/ personal support workers and other healthcare professionals, according to your individualized treatment/care plan
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Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of your health, comfort and quality of life and adjustment of your treatment/care plan as required
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Assistance in understanding and managing your medications (if applicable) and services that include health promotion and teaching
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Ongoing consultation and coordination between you, your care team and if you choose, your family or other support person(s)
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Services scheduled in a timely manner in accordance with your needs
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Phone call reminders from your care team to confirm your service time and date
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Opportunityto change your service date and time free of charge with 24 hour notice
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Services put on hold if you are hospitalized
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24-hour on-call support for home care related concerns (please note, this is not an emergency service. If you think you need medical care right away or if there is an emergency, call 911.)
3. I think that someone I know could benefit from home care; what signs should I look for to confirm this?
Some of the signs that people may need home health care could include, but are not limited to:
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Difficulty managing their personal appearance or body care
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Difficulty making meals or grocery shopping
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Frequent mistakes or confusion with medications
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Concerns about safety
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Loneliness or lack of interest in activities
Remember everyone's situation is different, that is why we always recommend calling our client services coordinator to be guided in the right direction.
4. What should I do if my parent refuses to consider home care options?
Having parents refuse home care options is common. In fact, it can be surprising when an older adult really wants to utilize home care. In most scenarios, family members come in and they are concerned about the safety of their parent, and the parent is concerned about keeping their autonomy and their independence. At this time, we see that having a professional in there to mediate between the two is of great value. Our agency can arrange to have one of our professionals meet with parents and family members to assure the adult that using home care services is not going to take them out of their home, and that they can still do the things that they want to do, while providing peace of mind to their families. It may take a little patience, but they will soon see for themselves that with home care, they're getting the little assistance that they need, while balancing their safety, maintaining their independence and often learning to better manage their health.
5. What happens to my services if my situation changes (e.g. health condition changes, hospitalization, vacation?)
Change in Health Status
If your health status changes we will work with you to adjust your treatment/care plan, this may mean that we could increase/decrease the frequency of our services, or offer you additional or different services.
Hospitalization
If you go to the hospital you can choose to have us come to the hospital to provide extra care (depending on the service available) to you there or you can choose to have your services put on hold (at no charge) until you return.
Going on Vacation
We simply require 24 hour notice and your services will be placed on hold until you return.
Services no longer required
We require 24 hour notice for cancellation.
6. Who will be providing my care?
In order to provide the high level of care that we do, we make every effort to attract and retain excellent staff at every level.
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Our Human Resources policies ensure that we hire only highly qualified staff; our personnel are meticulously screened and selected for their clinical and professional expertise, as well as for their communication and interpersonal skills.
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All of our care staff are certified or registered professionals that have up-to-date criminal record checks, reference checks, and all necessary workplace requirements.
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All of our personnel go through a comprehensive orientation and training program prior to commencing employment with us.
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Our professional development program ensures that staff are supported to update their skills and knowledge.
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Our caregivers are supported and monitored by community care supervisors who are just a phone call away, who make visits to your residence, and ensure that you are receiving the best care.
7. What are your home health care rates?
Our rates are based upon the length of visit, the member(s) of our care team who will be providing the care (e.g., registered nurse, health care aide, etc.,) and the specific needs of each client. Our rates are very competitive.
For more information, please contact us at one of our locations in your area. Our client services team will assess your situation and work with you to develop an individualized plan that meets your needs and is considerate of your budget. We can also investigate and inform you of any additional funding that may be available to you. Learn more
8. Do you provide care to individuals who currently live in a lodge, nursing home or other retirement home?
Yes, due to the flexible nature of our services we can provide care in any safe environment or residence.
9. How do you communicate with family members?
We understand the emotional connection between our clients and the family members that are responsible for their care. We work very closely with the family/ support persons, we offer continuous support and communicate when any concerns or changes arise, such as health and behavioural issues. However, we do have very strict privacy polices with regards to whom we share information with. This means we will only communicate with designated family/support persons as determined at the start of care and documented in our clients individualized care plan.