• Carolina Family Matters
• Great American Smokeout
• Informational meetings planned for NC Flex plans

Weighing options in home care for seniors and people with disabilities

Once you have made the difficult decision that a loved one needs assistance in the home -- whether it is an aging parent or relative, or someone who is functionally impaired and unable to complete tasks necessary for self-care -- you face the challenge of choosing a care provider. Before you begin the search for a home care provider, it is wise to make a list of your loved one's care requirements so you know what services will be most appropriate.

First, you will need to determine whether short- or long-term care will be needed. Short-term care may be appropriate for someone who has just been released from the hospital after surgery and will need assistance for a limited period of time. Long-term care is suitable for the individual who has a chronic health problem or who is in need of a hospice program. Once the duration is known, you must decide on the type of care that will be needed.

To simplify the many options available, you can divide available types of care into three main groups: medical care, homemaker care and companionship care. Medical care is appropriate if your loved one has a chronic health condition that requires monitoring or the administration of injections or other medications. Depending on the level of medical care that needs to be provided, you should look for a provider who is a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse or certified nursing assistant, or a home health aide. A registered nurse will provide the highest level of skilled nursing possible, while a home health aide can assist with activities of daily living as well as some health monitoring. Physical, occupational and speech therapists also provide some in-home assistance.

If your loved one does not need skilled nursing and health monitoring but needs some assistance with activities of daily living, you may choose to retain homemaker services. Homemaker agencies may provide a home chore worker or personal care assistant to assist with dressing, grooming, meal preparation, shopping, light housekeeping and companionship.

Some home care agencies provide companionship exclusively. Such agencies provide "friendly visitors" who will visit your loved one on a regular basis. Such visitors provide company but do not have the medical training to provide health monitoring and do not assist with household chores.

Home care is expensive to obtain and is not usually covered under Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance policies unless the home care is deemed an absolute medical necessity. Be sure to check the provisions of your loved one's health insurance policy to determine what services will be covered.

With the correct duration and type of care determined, your interactions with assistance providers will be more focused and productive.

Writer: Leslie Bacqué, Work-Family Manager
Employee Services, Office of Human Resources
bacque@email.unc.edu

Resources

The following local and state resources can be of assistance in finding suitable home care options.

Orange County Department of Social Services
919-245-2800, www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dss/cty_cnr/dir_oran.htm

Orange County Department on Aging
919-968-2087, www.co.orange.nc.us/aging/

Durham County Council for Senior Citizens
919-688-8247, www.councilseniorcitizens.org

NC Division of Aging
919-733-3983, www.dhhs.state.nc.us/aging

CareLine, NC Dept of Health & Human Services
800-662-7030

Seniors' Health Insurance & Information Program
919-968-2082, www.ncshiip.com

Great American Smokeout

Do you smoke? Have you ever thought about quitting? Do you feel that you are ready to quit? Or, do you know somebody who smokes and who wants to quit?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, the following announcement is for you:

H.E.E.L.S. for Health is joining forces with the American Cancer Society to sponsor the Great American Smokeout on Nov.21. This is a day set aside to encourage those who smoke to quit for one day. The idea is that if you or a friend who smokes can quit for 24 hours, you may realize that you can quit forever!

H.E.E.L.S. for Health is offering a series of educational packets that will be mailed to you periodically between now and the day of the Smokeout. This information will motivate and encourage you, or your friend, to quit for at least one day. It will also help you and your buddy to be mentally prepared for the day of the Smokeout, which is just weeks away!

Along with receiving helpful hints in the mail, you will be able to enjoy a celebration of being smoke-free for 24 hours on the day of the Smokeout! On this day, you will be given a smoke-free packet filled with goodies and information to help you enjoy your day of not smoking!

If you are interested in more information about the smokeout, please call H.E.E.L.S. for Health at 962-2348.

Smokeout date: Nov. 21

What you do: Mail this registration form back to H.E.E.L.S. and be on the lookout for your information and goodies!

Informational meetings planned
for NC Flex plans

Employees may obtain information about the NC Flex benefit program Oct. 30 in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room of Wilson Library. Sessions will be held 10 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m. Enrollment for the 2003 programs ends at 5 p.m. on Nov. 8.

NC Flex is a state-wide benefits program that offers state employees:

• Health Care Plus, a new program to supplement major medical health insurance;

• Health Care Flexible Spending Account;

• Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account;

• Vision Care Plan;

• Voluntary Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance; and

• Dental Plan.

Additional information is available in a booklet that will be sent to the campus addresses of all employees. For more information, see the NC Flex web site www.ncflex.org, or the Human Resources web site www.ais.unc.edu/hr/ or call the Benefits Department at 962-3071.