The caregiving journey is by no means an easy one, but you are not alone. Support is always available, whether it is to help you understand how to best care for your loved ones, or when you simply need someone to be there while you are away.
Homage delivers quality personalised home care to your loved ones. Through technology, we match trained Care Pros to you and your loved ones based on their specific care needs. Getting care for your loved ones no longer have to be a confusing process.
Read on as we take you through this step-by-step guide of engaging care for your loved ones with Homage.
1. Understanding your care needs
The first step to the right care is a holistic understanding of care needs. Every individual is unique, hence it is important for us to know more in-depth about the care needs you and your loved ones have.
Through a call, you can share with our Care Advisors your loved one’s current condition, medical history and overall context of care. We will also provide you with more information on the care assistance available, as well as the care packages that suit your needs.
Our Care Advisors will also guide you through the next steps to care. An in-person care assessment (IPCA) will also be recommended, when necessary.
2. Scheduling an in-person care assessment (IPCA)
An IPCA provides a more realistic understanding of your loved one’s care needs and their living environment. The IPCA’s date and time are scheduled based on your convenience and you will be notified upon confirmation through our app and email.
What is an IPCA?
A Care Specialist (CS), who is an experienced and licensed nurse, will be present to observe the living environment as well as assess your loved one’s cognitive and mobility skills. Our CS will also interact with you and your loved one to better understand the current routine, discuss any care-related concerns and plan the most suitable care arrangements.
Home improvement or caregiving tips are also shared with the family for better care support. An example would be suggesting a suitable mobility device or changing the furniture arrangement to facilitate easier movement of your loved one.
During IPCA, it is recommended that the primary caregiver is present, as they would be most aware of the exact care needs. Documentations such as medication and hospitalisation discharge summaries should also be shared to provide a holistic understanding of the care needed.
Lily Teh, a Care Specialist with Homage, has over 30 years of nursing experience. You can learn more about her nursing background, as well as her experience in care delivery here.
3. Personalising the Care Plan
Upon completion of the IPCA, our Care Specialist will summarise the information from the visit and previous communications into a personalised Care Plan.
This Care Plan will detail your loved ones:
- Specific care needs (medical and/or daily living assistance)
- Care routine
- Living arrangements (any areas to pay particular attention to)
- Medical history
- Overall temperament, mood and hobbies
- Ability to connect in terms of language
The Care Plan will be available in your Homage mobile app for your viewing. It can include photos and videos taken during IPCA to provide a better illustration of the care required. This will also serve as the foundation for Care Pro matching, which is the next step to care.
4. Matching the Most Suitable Care Pros
Care Pro matching is a critical step to providing the right care. At Homage, we recognise the importance this has on the quality of care delivery.
All of our Care Pros pass through stringent rounds of interview, evaluation and training prior to caring for your loved one. They are local caregivers and nurses who are CPR/BCLS-trained.
When matching Care Pro(s) to your loved one, our technology-enabled process goes down to the minute details in your Care Plan, so that only Care Pro(s) with the relevant experience and competencies are selected.
5. Starting the care visit
Upon successful matching of our Care Pro with your loved one, an email and app notification will be sent to you.
You can view the assigned Care Pro’s profile in your mobile app. The Care Pro’s profile photo is also included for easy identification, accompanied by a brief write-up about their caregiving experience and general information so that you can learn more about them.
If you would like to speak with our Care Pro before care commences, simply use the chat function in your app. You can also use this feature to stay in the loop of what happens during the visit in real time!
6. After a care visit ends
At the end of every visit, our Care Pro will document details of the care visit in a visit summary that will be made available in your Homage mobile app. You will be alerted of the summary through an app and email notification.
The visit summary will include hourly updates of the care visit, vital signs of your loved one and photo attachments when necessary. Our Care Pro will also highlight if there are any additional details to take note of when caring for your loved one, giving you full visibility on your loved one’s care.
Ensuring the quality of care is of utmost importance to us and we welcome all feedback, especially from you, who have engaged our care services. You will be able to share your rating on the visit and leave written feedback to your Care Pro directly when a visit is completed. You can also leave feedback to our Operations team should you have other concerns, or reach us through call and email.
We hope that this guide has helped you gain a clearer understanding of how you can get support on caregiving in just 6 simple steps.
Caregiving does not have to be a journey that you take on your own. Our trained Care Pros, which includes local caregivers and trained nurses are here to lend a helping hand. If you need some respite or help with overnight care, our team of Care Advisors are always available to help.
