About Sarah

“How much does it cost?” This is one of the first questions people typically have when it comes to utilizing home care services. Divine Home Care accepts all forms of payment, however, I am just going to focus on utilizing your Medicare home health benefit in this post.If you are 65 and older and have Medicare, you may be eligible for home health services to be covered at 100%. Like any type of coverage, certain criteria must be met in order to have services covered. Listed below are the guidelines created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS):

1. You must be under a doctor’s care and the home care services you receive must be established and reviewed by the doctor.
2. A doctor must certify that you need intermittent skilled care- meaning – you need a nurse, a physical therapist (PT), a speech therapist or an occupational therapist (OT) to see you at home a few times a week, not constant care around the clock.
3. The home health agency you have chosen to use must be Medicare-certified.
4. You must be homebound – but this doesn’t mean bed bound. To be homebound means:

• Leaving your home isn’t recommended.
• You are unable to leave home without help from another person, special transportation or a wheelchair or walker.
• Leaving home takes a considerable and taxing effort.

Let’s dig a little deeper into what home health services Medicare covers. (Remember, these services must be necessary for the treatment of your condition in order to be covered.)

• Skilled Nursing Care: At Divine Home Care, we have RN Case Managers who make visits and oversee all of our client’s care. Skilled nursing care can include teaching you about a special diet you’re on, dressing changes if you have a wound, giving injections and administering IV therapy – all in your own home.
• Home Health Aides: If the nurse determines you need additional support at home to help with things like bathing, getting dressed or transferring safely from your bed to a chair, they will include a home health aide in your plan of care. Home health aide services are covered as long as you’re receiving skilled care (nursing, PT, OT or Speech).
• Therapy (PT, OT, Speech): One or all three of these therapists can come to your home if the therapies will help improve your condition.
• Medical Social Services: If your condition is causing you social or emotional strain, your doctor can refer you to the home health agency’s Social Worker. (Not all home care agencies have this option so be sure to check into that. We do have a Social Worker at DHC.)

As I mentioned before, we accept all forms of payment. This means, if Medicare doesn’t cover some of the services you are wanting or needing, there are other options for you to continue to receive help at home. Please contact us if you have questions about home care and your coverage. This guide published by CMS is also a great resource for your Medicare questions, including what it doesn’t cover. And lastly, home care can be a very affordable option for you or a family member  who needs assistance to remain living at home. Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor or call us directly to discuss your options. 

This month, Divine Home Care launched a new program to recognize our caregivers. We know the importance of hiring and retaining great employees to help make our company the best it can be. The Office Manager from each of our offices will choose one of their staff to feature in the Employee Spotlight section of our quarterly employee newsletter. Below are this quarter’s recognized employees!

Benson Office: Kristi Baker, PCA

•  Kristi has been employed with us since September 2012. She is dedicated to caring for her client and ensuring that the client’s safety always comes first. The client’s grandmother has commented numerous times of how happy she is with Kristi’s work ethic and dedication to her grandson. This year, Kristi gave up taking her own young children trick or treating so that she could take her client out – he was thrilled! Thank you, Kristi!

Litchfield Office: Nathan Anderson, Home Health Aide/PCA

• Nate has been employed since October 2008. He provides outstanding care and compassion to each of his clients. He is very dedicated, ambitious and generous. Thank you, Nate!

Little Falls Office: Janie Frie, Home Health Aide/PCA/Homemaking

• Janie has been employed since November 2010. She is always determined to do the best job she can. She is very caring and positive and always goes the extra mile. When told she was being featured in the employee spotlight, Janie’s response was, “I am so honored to be recognized for just doing my job.” Thank you, Janie!

Redwood Falls Office: Deb Burthus, LPN

• Deb has been employed with us since March 2011. She is a dedicated LPN and is always willing to help. She has served clients in four of our five offices. In a two week period, she put on 1400 miles helping with visits in an eight county radius! She has an upbeat personality and an amazing passion for everyone that she works with and cares for. Thank you, Deb!

Willmar Office: Sondra Richards-Yuen, Home Health Aide/PCA

• Sondra has been employed since January 2008. She is always willing to bend over backwards to help in any way she can. This includes helping a client in the middle of the night who needed immediate assistance and has no one home to help. She did this twice! Sondra always does a fantastic job and is loved by her clients. Thank you, Sondra!

A big thank you to all of our Divine Home Care employees. Our company would not be able to care for people the way we do without you.