Home care is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the U.S. economy, and for a good reason. People who need assistance with daily tasks may not be able to go out independently, and usually, they need some support and companionship.
Furthermore, caregiving has become a more widespread family activity than ever before — more than 80 million Americans provide some form of informal, unpaid care by an adult to an incapacitated family member or friend. That’s approximately one in every six Americans who are helping out someone else regularly through their own free time.
80 Million Young American 
Helping the elderly in achieving their daily tasks
Like many other industries, home care centers have responded by teaming up with partners outside their normal sphere of influence to maximize efficiency and cut costs while still providing quality services. Partnering with home care providers can make your organization more accessible to your clients while reducing operational costs and redundancies.
Partnering with home healthcare providers can be a valuable way to enhance the care provided in residential settings. Home health care providers can offer various services, from skilled nursing care to non-medical services like personal care and homemaking assistance.
By partnering with home health care providers, residential settings can provide residents additional support and care, improving their overall quality of life. This article covers everything you need to know about partnering with home care in residential settings.
What Kind of Partnerships are Available?
There are a wide variety of ways that healthcare providers can team up with home care providers in residential settings. Often, these types of partnerships are used to streamline care delivery. It can be done by bringing together an organization that provides in-home support and a home care agency that has contracted with the client’s family. A case manager from the home care agency can be brought in to work with the client’s care team — doctors, nurses, and other health providers.
It can help ensure that each team participant is aware of the other’s roles and responsibilities. Having a home care provider on the team can make it easier for healthcare providers to refer clients to in-home support services. The client’s family often contracts home care agencies to provide support in the home. It can include helping with daily tasks, such as getting dressed, preparing meals, and taking medications, or helping with more complex activities, such as getting out of bed or getting around safely in the home.
Benefits of Partnering With Home Care in Residential Settings
By working with home care providers, healthcare providers can more easily access information about their patients and their families. It can simplify communication between multiple parties involved in their care and help healthcare providers keep track of their clients’ ongoing health issues. Home care agencies often have contracts with large health insurance providers, which can make it easier for those providers to cover care costs. Home care agencies often have better access to clients’ health information. The client’s family often contracts with them to provide support in the home, which can include helping with daily tasks. Some of the major benefits of partnering with home care are as follows:
- One of the primary benefits of partnering with home healthcare providers is the ability to provide skilled nursing care. Skilled nursing care is often necessary for residents with complex medical needs or chronic conditions. Home healthcare providers can offer a range of skilled nursing services, including wound care, medication management, and disease management. These services can help residents manage their conditions and avoid hospital readmissions.
- Another benefit of partnering with home health care providers is the ability to offer personal care services. Personal care services, such as bathing, dressing, and grooming assistance, are essential for residents with difficulty performing these activities independently. Home health care providers can also provide homemaking assistance, such as meal preparation and light housekeeping, which can help residents maintain a clean and safe living environment.
- Partnering with home healthcare providers can also help residential settings manage staffing challenges. Residential settings often need help to recruit and retain staff, especially in areas with low unemployment rates. By partnering with home health care providers, residential settings can access a pool of trained and experienced caregivers. It can help ensure that residents receive consistent and high-quality care, even when staffing challenges arise.
- Additionally, partnering with home healthcare providers can help residential settings reduce costs. Home healthcare providers can offer services on an as-needed basis, which can help reduce the need for full-time staff. It can help residential settings save on labor costs and other expenses such as benefits and training. Additionally, home healthcare providers may have access to specialized equipment and supplies, which can be expensive for residential settings to purchase independently.
There are a few key factors to consider when partnering with home healthcare providers. First, it is important to ensure that the home healthcare provider is licensed and insured. It can help protect both the residential setting and the residents from liability issues. It is also important to ensure that the home healthcare provider has experience working with residents in a residential setting. It can help ensure that the provider understands the unique needs of the residents and can provide appropriate care.
Another important consideration is communication. Establishing clear lines of communication between the residential setting staff and the home health care provider is important. It can help ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the care of the residents. Regular meetings or check-ins can facilitate this communication.
Partnering with Home Care Providers is Beneficial for Both Organizations.
Home care agencies often have better access to clients’ health information. The client’s family often contracts with them to provide support in the home. Healthcare providers often want to partner with home care providers because it allows them to access information about their clients and their families easily. It can simplify communication between multiple parties involved in their care and help healthcare providers keep track of their clients’ ongoing health issues.
Establishing and Maintaining Partnerships in Home Care Envoirnment
When partnering with a home care provider, it’s important to ensure that both your organization and the home care agency are clear about the rules of the partnership. It’s helpful to have a written partnership agreement that lays out the rules of the relationship and the expectations of both partners. Partnerships can be complex and difficult to navigate, and written agreements can be a helpful way to navigate difficult situations.
Consider having a home care partnership consultant on your team who has experience partnering with home care providers. Additionally, it’s a good idea to remember that partnerships are often not one-way streets. Home care agencies are often looking for a way to leverage their partnerships with healthcare organizations to increase their business. Home care agencies will likely try to convince healthcare providers to refer clients to their services.
How Does Partnering Work?
The first step in partnering with a home care provider is finding one that fits your organizational structure. You’ll want to partner with a home care agency with a consistent approach to the types of services it provides and how it delivers those services. For example, you could partner with an agency that provides long-term care and support rather than one that specializes in helping clients with daily tasks.
It can be helpful to talk to clients who have partnered with the provider you’re considering to see if they were satisfied with the services they received. It can also be helpful to talk to clients who have partnered with the home care provider you’re considering to see their experiences. Once you’ve identified an agency with a structure that matches your needs, it’s time to make an appointment to meet with the agency’s marketing and sales team to determine if it makes sense for your organization to partner with that provider.
Wrapping Up
Home care is a vital part of many people’s lives, whether they are ill or elderly, or disabled. Home care can range from assisting with daily tasks to helping with more complex activities, like getting out of bed or getting around safely in the home. Since many people need this type of assistance and can’t leave home, partnering with home care providers can make it easier for healthcare providers to provide care. And working with home care providers can help you better manage your time and resources and provide you with more information about your clients and their families.
In conclusion, partnering with home healthcare providers can be a valuable way to enhance the care provided in residential settings. By offering skilled nursing care, personal care services, and homemaking assistance, home, health care providers can help improve the quality of life for residents. Additionally, partnering with home healthcare providers can help residential settings manage staffing challenges and reduce costs. It is important to carefully consider the provider’s qualifications and experience and establish clear lines of communication to ensure the partnership is successful.
Hucu.ai is a HIPAA-compliant telehealth solution. With Hucu.ai communication software, healthcare providers can access their home base patients with partnering home care agencies to give better and real-time services that are more beneficial for all the stakeholders.
