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Aging gracefully can be tough for seniors as well as their families. Many seniors need a level of care that their families are unable to provide, which can take a toll on relationships and cause stress. At Premier Choice Health Services, we understand how difficult this time of life can be and we can help. We are knowledgeable about home health care services such as PASSPORT, which allow your loved one to age with success, health, and independence.

PASSPORT stands for Pre-Admission Screening Services Providing Options and Resources Today and provides home health care services for eligible applicants.

Who is eligible for PASSPORT?

• Applicants must be over the age of 60
• They must require a level of care typically provided in nursing homes, yet have the approval of a physician to remain safely at home
• They must be financially eligible to receive Medicaid benefits just as if they were applying for nursing home care (make less than $2,130 per month, with less than $1,500 in countable resources).
• They must not require care more than 60% of the cost of nursing home care.

Why consider PASSPORT?

• It is difficult to transition from being independent to needing health care. Relocating to a nursing home facility can be traumatizing and often embarrassing for seniors. PASSPORT services relieve the difficult transition by providing health care in the home. Seniors can remain independent and members of their community while still receiving the health care that they need.

Why use Premier Choice Health Services?

• At PCHS, we care for your loved one as if they are family. We are educated about home health care services such as PASSPORT and are completely committed to providing the highest standard of care for you or your loved one. Our caregivers are put through a rigorous screening process to ensure that they will be a suitable fit for you and your family. Our care managers closely supervise our caregivers so that every service member is accountable and responsible.

Ease the transition in the life of you and your loved one and inquire about PASSPORT through Premier Choice Health Services today.

For seniors who absolutely need nursing care but either do not or cannot be in an actual nursing home, there are limited options.  While needing care is not an ideal situation to begin with, receiving it outside of a nursing home can easily and quickly become quite the ordeal.

While it is nice to be with family, asking them for care can be a difficult and dangerous endeavor.  Family members may have the best of intentions but they typically do not have the training necessary to care for senior citizens.

This is where PASSPORT comes into play.  PASSPORT is a home care system that provides help to seniors in the comfort of their own homes.  This Medicaid waiver was created to be an alternative to nursing homes for seniors.  Through the system, registered medical professionals provide personal care to those who need it most which makes PASSPORT absolutely crucial to the health and well-being of seniors in Ohio.

Because PASSPORT is so important to healthcare in Ohio, Premier Choice Health Services has recently become certified by the Ohio Department of Aging to provide PASSPORT care.

With our PASSPORT certification, we now give patients

• Personal Care
• Homemaker Services
• Chore Services
• Independent Living Services

At PCHS, we value the individual and so we aim to provide individual care.  We teach the importance of maintaining a patient’s dignity and independence so PASSPORT is a natural fit for us.  We believe that PASSPORT perfectly fits who we are as caregivers so we couldn’t be more excited to begin providing these services to seniors across the state.

While there are requirements to qualify for PASSPORT, they are manageable for many people.  If you have questions about PASSPORT for you or for your loved ones, give us a call today!

Becoming a state tested nurse aide can be an incredible career choice for people from any income level.  However, many people are on a tight budget and rightfully worry about how to pay for their STNA classes and license.  Finding a solution to this problem may seem like a difficult task but it can be done.

With financing available from PCHS, nearly anyone on nearly any budget can start improving their career by studying to become an STNA.  With payment options from PCHS, students can quickly and easily pay off their loans so that they can stop worrying about debts when they should be focusing on their career.

Enjoying the benefits of PCHS payment plans is easy and will get you on the track to a promising career as an STNA.

• On the day of enrollment, simply bring a $200 deposit so that you can start your payment plan.  This deposit is non-refundable but is applied to the cost of the program, regardless.
• If you would like to lower the costs of your payment plan, simply bring a larger amount on enrollment day.  This extra money will go toward the completion of your final bill so your payments will decrease.
• Payments for our STNA classes may be paid with cash, cashier’s checks, money orders, debit cards, and credit cards for your convenience.
• Of course, if you wish to pay off the entire class at once, you absolutely may.  PCHS offers payment plans because we know that some people are on a tighter budget than others.  We want the experience of becoming an STNA as positive as possible.

If you have any questions about PCHS payment plans for becoming an STNA, please give us a call.  Our representatives are standing by to answer any concerns you may have.  To learn more about becoming an STNA, visit www.pchslive.com today!

With the New Year upon us, many people in every profession will be looking to uphold their New Year’s resolutions.  Of course, your resolution could be something simple like doing better at work but it might be more helpful for your resolutions if you’re very specific with them.  If you’ve had trouble coming up with your own resolution, we have thought of a few that may help you this next year as an STNA.

• Organize.  This goes to every aspect of your life.  If your home life is organized, your work life will fall in line easier and vice versa.  Set aside time every day to catch up on tying up loose ends from the day before.  Most importantly, organize time in your life when you can relax.
• Reach out.  By creating positive relationships with colleagues and patients, you’ll find your work days go by faster and are more enjoyable.  If you like where you work and who you work with, waking up for that surprise third shift won’t be so bad.
• Be open.  Have an open mind.  Have open ears.  Have an open heart.  Listen to others and take advice when it is given.  Don’t shut people or ideas out because you are unfamiliar with them.  As an STNA, your job will be more enjoyable the more accepting you are.
• Be early.  Rarely do people complain about others being early to meetings or gatherings.  Get in the habit of being early wherever you go and you will greatly reduce the possibility of you getting somewhere important late.  The extra effort to be early will impress your patients and your coworkers.
• Eliminate errors.  Obviously, when you perform a task, you’re not trying to make mistakes but they do happen.  Eliminating errors sounds like an immense task but it is really quite simple.  If you have to write something up, simply read it over before submitting it.  If you’re meeting with a patient, check their history before going in.  Small things can make a huge difference.
• Research at home.  If you are told to do something, take orders, of course, but check it out when you get home.  Knowing what you are doing is one thing, knowing why you’re doing something will separate you from competition.  A few minutes of research are enough to give you the knowledge you need to make better decisions.

Take these helpful hints into the New Year.  Maybe they can help you with your patients and with your coworkers.  If you have more tips or need more training on how to be a better STNA in 2013, let us know.

It’s not something many people think about or even want to think about but there are distinct, institutionalized barriers set up around age and it exists throughout our entire lives.  For the most part, children are placed in schools based more on their age then their ability.  After education, people tend to slowly move up the ladder as they age.  Even the elderly are, for a large part, relegated to certain places like nursing homes and senior day care centers.

With all this separation from one generation to the next, it’s no wonder that different age groups find it hard to relate to one another.  For most people, this doesn’t present a problem because they are comfortably surrounded by others in their age group.

There are, however, areas where vastly different generations and cultures meet and must work together.  Many nurse’s aides work extensively with the elderly on a daily basis.

While both the patient and the aide can be completely professional, the cultural differences are sure to arise at some point.  The key to maintaining a healthy working relationship for everyone is communication and compassion.

For those born after 1980, technology has played a large role in their world for most of their lives.  Since communication through cell phones and other technology is so different from what the elderly are used to, these young people may come off as rude or inconsiderate.  A quick answer from a young person may be interpreted as disrespect with no such intent.

For young aides working with older patients, it is crucial that they understand where their actions and words may be misinterpreted.  When working with older people, young aides need to recognize that people from an older generation see patience as a sign of respect.  Younger people may need to spend a little more time with individual patients to make sure the patient knows that they are being taken care of.

For both parties involved, the keys to keeping the relationship strong is to keep communication and compassion at the forefront.  Instead of quick, irrational responses, younger aides and older patients need to talk things through calmly.  It is also beneficial if both people recognize that the other one is just another person trying to live their life.

By remembering others’ emotions, everyone can have a better experience.  If you have any questions on how to better relate professionally to another generation, contact us at PCHS!

Thank you for visiting PCHS’ new blog! We will be posting all future blogs here. Interested in what we had to say in the past? Our past blog posts are still available for your reading.  Enjoy!