Certified/Non-Certified Homemaker-Home Health

Important Information:

• County funded services are not an entitlement and can be terminated at the discretion of the County.
• Home Care Services are secured through a competitive bid process.  Agencies awarded contracts through this process are utilized by the Department of Human Services (DHS) staff to provide services.  SRCP,  JACC and PASP have State authorized providers that Department staff will direct participants to.
• Services are available based on allocated funding and may be reduced or eliminated should funding be reduced or no longer available.  Waiting lists will be maintained when necessary.  
• Individuals are not eligible for County-funded Certified Home Health Services when available through Medicare or Medicaid.
• A physician’s statement to document an individual’s medical condition/disability supporting the need for home health services may be requested.  Since DHS is not a provider of medical services, the Department cannot 
• accept “Doctor’s Orders.”  Consumers should contact a provider directly or their medical insurance carrier for assistance in obtaining any doctor ordered services. 
• Department staff will confirm in writing with the Home Care Agency the exact service being requested, maximum allowable hours and time period for which authorization is valid.  
• The County will not be responsible for any services arranged for independent of County approval. 
• Requests for changes in service must be made directly to the Department for review and approval.
• While the programs themselves vary, the majority provide between 1.5 to 6 hours per week depending on: a) need, b) availability of funding and c) availability of a Home Care Agency staff person.  

What you can expect:

Directed and supervised by a Registered Professional Nurse, Certified Home Health Aides perform hands-on patient care in accordance with the care plan.  This can include: personal care activities including feeding, bathing, grooming, personal hygiene, dressing, exercising, assisting with bed mobility and walking; assisting with self-administered medication; preparing and serving meals (including special diets).  

Non-Certified aides cannot provide hands-on care but can provide meal preparation, light housework, laundry, shopping, and light organization in the household  
Light housekeeping chores are defined as follows: 

• Changing linens; making beds
• Rinsing tub or shower after use, wiping spills on sink or floor, wiping down countertops (certified aides only)
• Doing laundry (by machine only, in residence or nearby Laundromat) 
• Preparing meals
• Light mopping  (no stripping or waxing of floors)
• Monitoring freshness of food / cleaning out refrigerators when appropriate
• Picking up the mail
• Taking out the trash
• Vacuuming; sweeping; dusting
• Washing, drying  & putting away dishes
• Folding and putting laundry away

What is expected of you:

• If financially able, you may be asked to contribute toward the cost of services.
• During the period of time that the services are being provided in your home, you must be present. 
• If you are not home when an appointment is scheduled, a payment for one hour of service may be requested to compensate for the aide’s time. 
• Mutual respect for, and cooperation with, service providers is a condition of continued services. 

Non-allowable activities include, but are not limited to:

• Handling medications
• Assisting in caring for children 
• Assisting in moving from one home to another
• Cleaning or starting up the furnace
• Climbing onto a chair or ladder to perform any chore
• Flipping mattresses
• Installing or replacing curtains
• Ironing (unless agency willing to provide this service for a small number of items such as one or two outfits) 
• Lifting or carrying objects over 25 lbs
• Moving furniture
• Moving heavy plants, inside or outside the home
• Moving any heavy appliances
• Mowing the lawn, raking leaves, shoveling snow, or any chore related to the care of the outside of the home/property
• Painting the house or apartment
• Walking, feeding or caring for any
•      animals  
• Washing laundry by hand
• Washing windows
• Winterizing the home
• Any Chemical Cleaning

How to get services?

To see if you are eligible for this service please call Social Work Services at 908-788-1631 to be screened for services.