Your parents are getting up in years. It's becoming more difficult for them to care for their daily needs, including remembering when it's time to take their medications. If it's not the time to bring them home with you or place them in an assisted living facility, you might want to consider speaking to a home health care agency. Hiring home health care workers may be the way to allow your parents the benefit of living at home while having someone available to assist them throughout the day. When choosing a health care agency, here are three questions you should ask.  

What Services Are Provided?

Before you retain the services of a home health care agency, you want to make sure they'll be able to provide your parents with the services they'll need. There are a variety of home health care workers that are available to you. Be sure that the services your parents need are provided by the agency you're considering. These are a few of the in-home health care workers you might need for your parents.

Registered Nurses

If your parents have health issues that require routine medication or blood tests, they may benefit from having a registered nurse on their home health care team.  

Licensed Vocational Nurses

If your parents don't require routine blood tests or other medical procedures – such as IVs – but they do require some limited medical care, a licensed vocational nurse should be on their home health care team. Licensed vocational nurses will monitor your parent's weight and blood pressure, as well as dress any wounds your parents may develop. 

Personal Care Aids

If your parents are no longer able to provide for their only daily care, a personal care aid will help them with their daily activities. Personal care aids provide light housekeeping, as well as assistance with meal preparation.

Is a Daily Log Book Kept?

You want to make sure that you can monitor the care your parents are receiving. The best way to do that is through daily logs. Before you hire a home health care agency to provide services for your parents, be sure that they require their workers to maintain daily log books. The daily log should include information about medications your parents receive, as well as other services that are rendered to your parents on a daily basis.

Are Replacements Available?

The health care workers you choose are going to be spending a great deal of time with your parents. You want to make sure that they're a good fit. Ask the health care agency if replacements are available should a worker not be a good fit for your parent. This will ensure that you'll be able to find a new worker should the need arise.

If your parents have reached the age where in-home assistance is necessary, use the tips provided above to make sure you choose the right care for them.