Hiring in home care can be a simple or complicated process, depending on the dynamics in each family. The situation can become even more complex when diagnoses like Alzheimer’s or dementia are a factor. Sometimes, an elderly parent or spouse wants (or recognizes that they need) help with daily tasks and errands; then, it’s simply a matter of finding qualified, competent, compassionate care. But there may be other situations in which your loved one refuses care, or does not want outside help in their home. What to do then?

Hello everyone, thank you for stopping by our site! Every so often, we will be highlighting one of our outstanding employees or new hires. You’ll learn a little bit about our caregivers, the in home care services we provide, and what makes Pennsylvania Agency of Nurses so special (spoiler alert: it’s the people!). We’re happy to introduce our new President, Colleen! Read on…

Name: Colleen Boyce Moran, BSN, RN, President, Pennsylvania Agency of Nurses

Where are you from? I have lived in Delaware County, Pennsylvania my entire life.

What are your qualifications? BSN, RN

How long have you been in the home care industry? 20 years

What is it about your job that inspires you?
I find it very rewarding to be able to have the opportunity to interact with families and their loved ones on such an intimate level. I feel such a sense of pride knowing that I am enhancing their quality of life in the comfort of their home. Home is where the heart is. Positively impacting so many lives on such a personal level is what I enjoy most about my career in Home Care.

Selecting an agency to take care of an elderly loved one can be quite a big task. There are many organizations who provide in home care in the Philadelphia area, but how do you know which one is the best fit for your own family? In this blog, we’d like to take the opportunity to share how Pennsylvania Agency of Nurses operates – we’ll step you through our process for providing in home care, the types of home care we provide, how we hire our employees, and also how we match them to clients. Let’s get started!

Does a loved one in your family need in home care due to age, disability, or other factors? Looking around for the right type of care can be a little intimidating, not least of which is figuring out all the acronyms associated with senior care. While doing your research, you may have come across the terms CNA, HHA, LPN, or RN…but what do these actually mean, and how do they apply to different types of care? Let’s find out!

Searching for the right organization or person to provide in home care for your loved ones can be a little intimidating if you’ve never done it before. There are a lot of providers available, from nationwide franchises to smaller local businesses and independent contractors…all of which can be found online! With so many options at your fingertips, it can be difficult to know which type of provider will best suit your family’s needs (for an in-depth discussion of the costs of different types of senior care, click here). Let’s take a look at one of the most important differentiators for you to know about: the difference between in home care registries and home care agencies.

Making the decision that a loved one needs some sort of in home care or senior care can be a difficult step to take (read here for four signs that your family might be at this decision point). Who you hire is one of the most important decisions to make, and it can have a big impact on your family’s experience with senior care. Just consider: this is a person or company that might be spending significant time with a family member (potentially in the home), and might also be involved in care of a personal, private nature, like assistance with toileting, bathing, finances, etc. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a few true stories of in home care gone wrong…and more importantly, how to mitigate the risks of this happening to your family!

There are many reasons a parent or loved one might need in home care. Age-related changes like diminishing vision or inability to lift heavy things might mean that your father or mother needs help accomplishing daily tasks. An unexpected illness or diagnosis, on the other hand, might carry more of a shock or surprise, especially with something like early-onset Alzheimer’s. In these instances, grief, confusion, and distress might contribute to making a situation more complicated.

In the event that an elderly parent needs a caretaker due to age-related changes or sudden illness/injury, the burden may fall on one sibling more than the others (perhaps only one sibling is willing or able to take on a caretaker role). This may be due to geographical distance, financial ability, or a variety of other reasons.

Becoming a primary caretaker can be rewarding, yet difficult, work, especially if you don’t have any training. When the work falls unevenly between grown children, it can occasionally lead to some hard feelings (read here to learn about keeping the peace between siblings). With that in mind, we wanted to round up some ways that family members and friends can help a primary caretaker, even if they’re not geographically close or able to pick up some of the tasks. Most of these can be done yourself, or hired out…either way, your elderly parent and the primary caretaker will be very grateful that you looked at these resources for caregivers!

There are many types of assistance available for senior citizens (in and out of the home), and it can be difficult to know which type of care is appropriate for yourself or a loved one. It can be especially difficult to discern how the costs of each compare to one another, and how this information can help your family make the right decision. Thankfully, there is hard data available; the 2014 Genworth Cost of Care study that was recently published offers a good look at different types of elderly care, and what the median costs are.