Thursday, 14 November 2013

Certified Home Health Aides: The Best Choice for At-Home Elder Care in New Jersey

If your loved one requires at-home elder care, Certified Home Health Aides are by far the best option.  While it can be slightly cheaper to hire a companion without this qualification, the benefits you will gain from choosing an aide with certification more than outweigh the cost.

In New Jersey, the requirements for home health aide certification are stringent.  According to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, certified home health aides must receive at least 76 hours of training from a program approved of by the New Jersey Board of Nursing. This training includes at least 16 hours of hands-on work in a skills laboratory or patient-care setting, ensuring that the caregiver you hire not only has a good background in current healthcare theory, he or she also has practical experience. 

Certified home health aides must also pass a competency evaluation from a training facility approved by the board, while non-certified aides, even those with good references, will have little to no training and no formal method for assessing their skills.

A certified home health aide must also pass a criminal history background check.  While it is possible to do a cursory background check on anyone online these days, having a thorough one done by the state will give you real assurance that your loved one is in good hands. 

Finally, consider that the effort required for a person to get home health aide certification indicates a real dedication.  Submitting to the expense and time commitment of intensive training, a background check, and competency testing is proof of a desire to make being a home health a career rather than a stop-gap measure to bring in a little money. 

Given the choice between a certified professional and an unqualified amateur, who would you choose to keep watch over your loved ones?  For help selecting certified home health aides, please contact us at 973-378-9100.

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