Services for Iowa County Residents
Our home health agency will contact you to determine if home care services are appropriate. They will do an assessment on your mental health, physical condition, medication use, current support systems and home environment. Working closely with your physician, your care plan is based on your individual needs. How frequently services are provided in your home are dependent on your individual needs and prescribed by your primary care physician. This helps to determine if you are able to remain in your home safely and independently while determining any risks that could impact your health and safety.
What things should I consider when picking the right home health agency?
- Medicare/Medicaid certified
- Other specific services that I need
- Meets my special language or cultural preferences
- Offers the personal care needed, i.e.: assistance with bathing, dressing
- Offers support, such as meal preparation, vacuuming or going to the grocery store
- Can provide the services my doctor ordered and when I need them
- Is recommended by family, friends, physician
- Staff is available after regular business hours, including the weekend
- Have they explained what insurance will cover and why I must pay out-of-pocket?
Referrals can be made by hospitals, families, clients and agencies.
In-person interpreters or language line available.
Skilled Nursing Services
A Registered Nurse works closely with the family and their physician to provide home health care in the client's home.
These services can include, but are not limited to:
- Blood draws
- Chronic Disease Management
- Coordination of community resources to assist you so you can remain in your home.
- Diabetic teaching
- Direct Skilled Care
- Free evaluation of your health care needs
- Health teaching for clients and families
- Injections
- IV Therapy
- Medication management
- Pre-filling insulin syringes
- Private Duty Nursing
- Tracheostomy care
- Wound care
- 24-hour on-call
Licensed Therapists and Assistants
Licensed therapists and assistants provide the following services, ordered by your physician:
Physical Therapy is one-on-one assistance. These services help with healing or rehabilitation. Clients may be bedridden with acute or severe risk to their health, have limited mobility or unable to travel to a facility for therapy services. Therapists might work with clients who have had a stroke, hip or knee replacement, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease. These types of services help to improve mobility, enhance strength and improve over endurance.
Occupational Therapy is one-on-one assistance to help clients learn how to safely perform needed daily activities so they can be independent in their own homes. Therapists will assess things such as the client's endurance, motor skills, balance, strength and coordination and assist them with techniques or suggestions on how to improve these. Clients who might need these services may have physical, cognitive or sensory problems. Therapists might work with clients that have had Parkinson’s disease, ADHD, chronic pain, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, carpal tunnel, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, brain injury, cancer, joint replacement and Alzheimer’s disease.
Speech Therapy is one-on-one assistance with working with the client to help them restore their speech impediments or a different mode of communication. Can also help to improve essential skills such as swallowing, processing information and communicating. Speech therapists commonly work with families that have medical issues such as a stroke, dementia, cancer or brain injuries.
Certified Homemaker-Home Health Aides
Certified Homemaker-Home Health Aides provide the following services under the supervision of Registered Nurses:
Home Health Aide Services includes personal cares such as:
- bathing
- grooming
- dressing
- oral hygiene
- skin care
- shampooing hair
- assistance with daily activities
- walking
- eating
- counseling on personal hygiene
- assistance with toileting
- assistance with ambulation
Homemaker Services includes:
- meal planning
- grocery shopping
- meal preparation
- light housekeeping
- vacuuming
- dusting
- scrubbing floors
- defrosting refrigerators
- cleaning stoves
- cleaning medical equipment
- washing clothes
- washing personal items
- washing dishes
- home management
- budgeting
- essential shopping such as personal care items
Respite Services includes:
- giving the regular caregiver a break, and
- provides the usual care the caregiver normally does, and
- Our staff will "sit" with the client in their home while the normal caregiver is able to go to appointments or other needed activities to give themselves a break in their normal daily routine.
This is not to be provided daily while the regular caregiver is at work.
Who Pays for Home Care? Funding Sources
Most care at home is covered by insurance, such as Medicare. Some insurance companies have certain guidelines that have to be followed in order to be eligible for home care services, such as “homebound”. “Homebound” means that it is difficult for you to walk long distances, unable to leave your home without a taxing effort or assistance of another person or medical equipment such as a walker, crutches or a wheelchair. Or if your doctor believes your health could get worse if you leave your home. Being “homebound” doesn’t mean that you can’t leave your home for medical appointments, religious events, or family events.
Medicare: must meet requirements set by Medicare such as being homebound and requiring intermittent, skilled care. Medicare covers a wide range of services.
Medicaid (AmeriGroup, Iowa Total Care, Molina Healthcare Iowa): The State of Iowa has privatized Medicaid provided by AmeriGroup, Iowa Total Care, and Molina Healthcare Iowa. This system provides services similar to Medicare for lower income brackets. Clients do not have to be homebound.
Private Health Insurance: Policy coverage varies. Generally private insurance is limited to physician-directed home health services. Some require prior authorization and home-bound status. We currently work with 50 different insurance payers including, but not limited to Veterans Administration and Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. We process claim submissions for insurance and third party payers.
Private Pay/Patient: Services can be paid for privately. The scope of services and charges are based on a sliding fee. Consideration for medical expenses, income and resources determine the client’s fee percentage.
Other Sources: North East Iowa Area Agency on Aging, Federal grants, and local county tax dollars are potential resources to assist with paying for your home care services.
Donations and memorials are welcome.
