About Boston Senior Home Care Learn More about us! Frequently Asked Questions | People's Stories | Back to About Us Below is a sample of frequently asked questions to Boston Senior Home Care staff. - Who qualifies for home care services? - Can I get services if I am not qualified for home care? - Are home care services free? - Why can't Medicare pay for these services? - I live with my family, can I get help? - Does my doctor have to call or write your agency to get me help? - What does a homemaker do? - What are the differences between a homemaker, a personal care assistant, and home health aides? - What if I don't like my homemaker or my home delivered meals? Can I change them? - If I go into the hospital, do my services stop? How can I get services again when I am discharged from the hospital? Who qualifies for home care services? BSHC provides in home services to individuals 60 years of age and older, as well as disabled adults. For more information on these services that we can provide, please click the Services tab at the top of this page, or contact our information and referral program, Boston ElderINFO. Back to top... Can I get services if I am not qualified for home care? Yes. BSHC has other programs including HomePower, Shared Living, and many others. For more information, please contact our information and referral program Boston ElderINFO. Back to top... Are home care services free? The State of Massachusetts, through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, establishes income guidelines for elders who receive home care services. Elders share the cost that elders pay for services is based on these income guidelines. Some elders’ income is so low that they will not have to share the cost. Most elders pay part of the service cost which can range from $4 to $105 a month. Most paying elders contribute $5 to $45 to the cost of services. Back to top... Why can't Medicare pay for these services? Medicare pays for certain home services, such as home health aide, nursing, for elders who meet Medicare requirements for skilled nursing services. Elders often receive this type of help when they first come out of a hospital. Home care services such as meals, housework, grocery shopping, etc., come from a different type of home care agency. Medicare does not pay for these kinds of services. Back to top... I live with my family. Can I get help? Living with family members does not prevent you from receiving home care services. If your age, income, and needs meet the eligibility guidelines, you can receive services even if you live with one or more family members. Back to top... Does my doctor have to call or write your agency to get me help? No, you can call BSHC yourself. (617) 292-6211 (Boston ElderInfo). A Geriatric Specialist will take down you basic information. Care Managers will call and arrange a time to visit your home to meet you and discuss your needs. Back to top... What does a homemaker do? A homemaker does light cleaning (i.e., sweeping and/or vacuuming floors; cleaning the bathroom dusting, etc.), laundry, light meal preparation, runs errands, etc. The homemaker cannot wash windows nor do heavy cleaning. Your Care Manager can arrange for a specialized cleaning crew to do this kind of task. A home maker cannot do certain personal tasks (Washing your hair; ironing clothes; sewing, etc.) or any medically-related tasks (giving injections, giving medications, taking pulses, etc.) Back to top... What’s the difference between a homemaker, a personal care assistant, and a home health aide? Each of these roles has a different degree of training. A homemaker is trained to do light housecleaning. A personal care assistant is trained to provide hands-on personal care, such as bathing or dressing, and well as housework. A home health aide is trained to assist clients in transfers (moving from a bed to a chair, for example). Home health aides also can take someone’s pulse or temperature and help with medications, as well as provide hand-on personal care and perform household chores. An elder receives care from one or more of the above workers depending on her or her needs. Back to top... What if I don’t like my homemaker or my home delivered meals? Can I change them? As a client of BSHC, you have a care manager to assist you with any problems or questions about your services. Call your Case Manager who will work with you to resolve your problems. In some cases, Care Managers may change homemaker or home delivered meals providers. Many problems, however, can be solved without major changes or upsets. Back to top... If I go in the hospital, do my services stop? How can I get my services again when I am discharged from the hospital? If you re going to the hospital on a planned stay, tell your Care manager about the dates you will be hospitalized. BSHC will suspend your services while you are in the hospital. When you plan to return to your home, call (or have the hospital social worker call) your Care Manager to start services again. If you have an emergency hospitalization and cannot contact your Care Manager, when possible call or have a family member/friend call BSHC. Sometimes your homemaking agency or home delivered meals provider calls us about hospitalization, since these agencies often know first about such changes. Back to top... Get Detailed Directions to our office Enter your Zip Code Public Transportation & Driving Directions Home | About Us | Getting Help | Services | Contact Us | Helpful Links | Careers | Site Map www.bshcinfo.org - Copyright (c) 2008 - All Rights Reserved E-mail webmaster. Best viewed with 1024 x 768 Resolution