As we learn to navigate life during the coronavirus pandemic, you may be wondering how home health care options have been impacted.

• Are you a family caregiver who has utilized or is considering using in-home care?
• Are you considering moving your parents out of a senior living facility into your own home, but know you will still need caregiving assistance?
• Does your aging parent need help at home, but with COVID-19 as a very real threat to people over the age of 65, you worry about how safe it would be to have a caregiver in your loved one’s home?
• Are you like me, a mature adult who feels strongly about aging in place, and you want to know how COVID-19 may have reshaped the home care landscape?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, today’s episode is perfect for you.

To kick off Season Three of Help Choose Home, we welcome Lora Masci Weagle, Director of Client Relations, and Adrianne Mann, RN, BSN, MSHA, Executive Director of HCR Home Care, which has been providing in-home care services for clients in upstate New York since 1978. Specifically, we discuss:

• The impact of the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 on home health care options
• Enhanced protocol steps HCR Home Care is taking to keep clients and staff safe
• The importance of educating and collaborating with doctors, hospitals and others who refer people to home care
• The role of telehealth in connecting with clients to ensure necessary services are continuing
• Lessons from the pandemic that will positively impact home health care going forward

Here are some highlights from our conversation:

• [2:10] Our guests, Lora Masci Weagle and Adrianne Mann, RN, BSN, MSHA, are part of the HCR Home Care administrative leadership team, which has three lines of business serving residents of upstate New York: Certified Home Care, Private Duty Home Care, and Care Management.
• [4:46] Safety protocols that have been enhanced and put into place during the coronavirus pandemic are explained.
• [5:39] Adrianne explains how HCR Home Care clients are screened before each home care visit.
• [6:58] We discuss how HCR Home Care is using CDC guidelines to ensure the safety of clients and staff – both in the office and in clients’ homes.
• [8:40] We discuss the importance of having access to PPE (personal protective equipment) and utilizing it to ensure safety in all interactions.
• [9:18] Lessons from the pandemic will impact client care going forward – in positive ways.
• [10:11] For clients who need care at home, Lora explains how care is continuing to be accessed and put into place.
• [14:55] Lora explains how HCR Home Care has effectively utilized telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic.
• [17:30] Telehealth, according to Adrianne, has also helped HCR Home Care clients continue to have regular contact with their physicians during the pandemic.
• [18:55] During the pandemic, telehealth has enabled collaboration and coordination with local physicians to creatively meet client needs.
• [23:15] We discuss why now, more than ever, care at home provides the safety and comfort that clients and their families are looking for.

After listening to today’s episode, I think that like me, you’ll feel comforted and confident in the many steps those in the home care industry are taking to ensure the safety of clients and their staff. You’ll also hear about how creativity, collaboration and education are the silver lining of these unprecedented times.

You can listen to today’s episode here, or on Apple Podcasts, Google,  YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts.

To learn more about the factors to look for when considering home health care options, listen to my interview with Katie Roper, CEO of Catenary Consulting. Katie explains the importance of making a well-informed decision and identifies the details that should not be overlooked when selecting professional home care services for a senior loved one.

If this episode has been helpful, be sure to leave a five-star review and share the podcast with your friends to help us in the national effort to educate about home health care options! You can connect with me, Merrily Orsini, on Twitter@MerrilyO.