Washington Home Care Association
The Washington Home Care Association was formed in 2005 to advance the field of Home Care in Washington State and support member home care agencies. WAHCA is the state chapter of the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA)
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Aging in place is becoming increasingly popular with adults as they grow in years, and it’s important that the right home modifications and caregiving services are put into place.
We love this article from Julia Weaver with tips of how senior care and home modifications can help adults age in place comfortably and safely.
You can see the full post here: https://www.redfin.com/blog/home-improvements-and-modifications-for-aging-in-place/
Thank you, Julia for sharing your article with us!
wahca · ·
We are actively working with the Department of Health to better understand the timing and process of Covid-19 vaccinations for home care workers who are part of the DOH issued phase 1a.
DOH has confirmed that the current vaccine supply in Washington is very limited. DOH is currently working with health care systems and hospitals to determine those who are interested in offering to vaccinate phase 1a workers that are not employees of their system. DOH is also exploring how they can stand-up additional sites such as pharmacies or points of distribution (POD) where home care workers can be referred for vaccination.
It sounds likely that it will be January before there will be sufficient vaccine supply for home care workers to access vaccines; and several weeks before enough details around distribution will be known to provide detailed instructions to home care agencies and Individual Providers. We will also learn more in the coming weeks about whether there is enough supply to cover all home care workers with a single announcement or whether there will need to be risk stratification and notification of phases of workers over a period of time within 1a prioritization.
We have additional questions we have sent to DOH; and we are still seeking to understand whether other HCBS providers who are doing in-person visits to Medicaid clients are included in phase 1a.
Here is what we do know:
We commit to keeping you informed along the way. It is very good news that in-home workers have been recognized for the essential work they perform; and for the COVID exposure and spread risk they experience as a result of the tasks they do to assist individuals to remain living in their own home.
Sincerely,
Bea
Bea Rector / Director, Home and Community Services Division
Aging and Long Term Support Administration
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
Transforming Lives
wahca · ·
As per Gov. Jay Inslee press…
Gov. Jay Inslee announced guidance today that allows long-term care facilities to offer visitation and other activities. Many long-term care facilities were forced to curtail social activities for residents and visitors earlier this year due to COVID-19.
Inslee was joined by Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Secretary Cheryl Strange, DSHS Assistant Secretary Bill Moss and Secretary of Health John Wiesman at a press conference Thursday for the announcement.
The announcement does not constitute an immediate reopening of all long-term care facilities, however. The plan goes into effect August 12, and even after it becomes effective, individual facilities must meet additional parameters before re-opening.
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As widely reported, COVID-19 and the statewide lockdown resulted in an unprecedented number of unemployment insurance claims. While the vast majority are indeed legitimate, there has been an unfortunate surge in fraudulent claims filed by individuals who are taking advantage of the current situation.
The Employment Security Department (the “ESD”) confirmed that its own system was not breached, but rather suspects that the personal information being used to file illegitimate claims came from some other past breach.
As Washington officials work towards preventing and stopping fraud, fixing any vulnerabilities within the state’s system, and recovering stolen payments, there are a few steps you can advise your employees to take to better protect themselves.
1. Have them visit the ESD’s website (https://secure.esd.wa.gov/) and proactively set up an account, filling in all the necessary registration information (including their full name and social security number) and complete the process just up to the point of actually filing an unemployment claim. Doing so will alert the employee to any fraudulent claim that might already be associated with their social security number, and also put up a safeguard by preventing bad actors from setting up an account using their personal information in the future.
2. If an employee’s information has already been compromised, they should: report the incident to you and file a fraud claim with the ESD online or by calling 1-800-246-9763; file an online or non-emergency police report and use the police report number to file a report with the Federal Trade Commission; consider setting up an account with the Internal Revenue Service, locking their social security number, freezing their credit, and signing up for a credit monitoring service; and notify the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian). They can request and review their free credit reports and close any accounts which may have been tampered with.
Finally, as an employer, you should be sure to closely review the notices you receive from the ESD to ensure that claims filed are legitimate. Although businesses do not have an obligation to report the fraud to the ESD, you can provide your employees an early heads up that a fraudulent claim has been filed. And you can report the fraud to the ESD on behalf of your employees. Here is a link with more information on how to do so: https://esd.wa.gov/unemployment/unemployment-benefits-fraud
Learning that personal information has been compromised is incredibly stressful. To the extent possible, encourage your employees to remain calm, act quickly, follow the steps above, and utilize the resources made available by each agency.
Authored by the employment attorneys at Cairncross & Hempelmann. Kirsten Daniels, [email protected], Alan Schuchman, [email protected], and Rochelle Nelson, [email protected]. Please do not hesitate to reach out to employment counsel with questions. We are ready to help you navigate the workplace challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and related announcements by government and health officials.
wahca · ·
It can be tempting to hire a private caregiver at first glance, because their hourly wage may initially seem more affordable than a home care agency’s quote. Beware, there is a big difference between using a home care agency versus a private caregiver.
What seems more affordable at the outset can cost you in both monetary – and emotional ways – further down the road.
Here are some of the invaluable benefits of working with a licensed, established and experienced home care agency that you can’t get when you hire private caregivers on your own.
Running a thorough criminal background and DMV check doesn’t come cheap, and you are on your own if you work with newspaper ads and craigslist posts to find a qualified caregiver.
Home care agencies take care of all of that work for you, and they maintain current and updated records on each employee (which they should provide immediately upon request). This saves you the time, money and hassle of running independent checks on multiple caregivers during the hiring process.
These checks are essential to protecting the safety, privacy, and wellbeing of the client.
Hiring one or two private caregivers may seem sufficient at first, particularly if you only require respite care from time to time. What happens though when one of them calls in sick, is unwell or has a sick child/family member for an extended period, or when your loved one’s caregiving needs escalate with time?
A caregiving agency prepares for all of the above. We have enough staff to ensure your caregiving shifts are covered, even if the regular caregiver needs to call in sick or take a personal day. All of the caregivers are highly-trained and qualified to adjust their caregiving services as clients need them, or we can add more skilled caregivers to the rotation if needed.
There are specific scenarios where Medicare or private insurance picks up all or a portion of the costs associated with a patient’s home care. In these instances, insurance carriers require homecare services are provided by a Medicare-approved agency. That can mean paying out of pocket for your independent caregiver or having to start from scratch and find a caregiving agency to alleviate costs.
Working with a Mecicare-approved home care agency at the outset makes things much easier if a medical diagnosis, procedure, or other occurrence qualifies for home care coverage or reimbursement.
So, let’s say your private caregiver charges $13/hour, but the homecare agency quotes somewhere closer to $20/hour. At first, it seems like the private caregiver is the way to go to respect a conservative budget. However, states are increasingly enforcing health benefits, paid time off and/or other forms of benefits compensation for privately hired employees such as caregivers or nannies.
Thus, you’ll find that the agency’s quoted price is far less expensive than paying an independent caregiver’s wages as well as the additional benefits s/he deserves ethically and by law.
Most private caregivers don’t have the time or resources to attend ongoing, industry-relevant training, classes, and seminars. The most professional, high-quality home care agencies, on the other hand, make routine trainings, safety meetings, classes, and education a normal part of the employee’s experience.
In fact, when you’re meeting with various home care agencies to make your decision, it’s a good idea to ask them about the types of training and continuing education they offer to employees as this can be a good way to make your final decision.
Washington Home Care Association is dedicated to connecting seniors and their loved ones with licensed, Medicare-approved home care agencies that provide high-quality, in-home senior care services in Spokane and the tri-city area. Contact us to learn more about our services and to get in touch with a home care agency near you.