When interviewing home health care providers, beware that many companies position themselves as "home care" agencies when they are not - they are not licensed or monitored by the State. To identify these types of companies, always ask if the agency is licensed by the Sate and if caregivers are their legal employees.

Once you choose home health care, you must decide the type of care you prefer - an agency or independent caregiver. When examining this issue, consider the pros and cons of the situation.

Home Health Care Agency Pros

• Assumes full liability
• Assumes responsibility for worker taxes, insurance, benefits, etc.
• Back-up system in place should usual caregiver be unable to work
• Caregiver supervision and replacement - if you are not pleased with caregiver, the agency will handle the dismissal and replacement
• Experienced caregivers ready to work on short notice
• Full background and reference checks
• Provides continuing education for caregivers
• Registered Nurse monitors all care
• Trained and licensed staff

Independent Caregiver Cons

• You are responsible for recruiting and interviewing applicants
• You are responsible for performing background and reference checks
• You are responsible for taxes, insurance and benefits
• You are responsible for supervising, dismissing and replacing and inappropriate caregiver
• No guarantee of clinical training and experience
• No back-up system in place should the caregiver be unable to work
• No liability for care
• Care is not monitored by a Registered Nurse

We are proud to be a locally owned and operated company. Our home care agency caters to the varying home health care and geriatric care management needs of clients in 5 counties. We offer flexible access to our services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Yes, Hillcrest Home care is licensed as a Home Health Care agency, meeting the State's requirements for home care agencies. Additionally, we are a Medicare Certified Home Health Agency, which means that we provide the highest level of care in the comfort of your home.

We accept many insurance providers, including Medicare, BlueCross/Blue Shield, Workers Compensation, HMO's and commercial insurances. We will validate insurance eligibility, and work with patients without insurance or with partial coverage to see that you get the care that you need.

When it comes to home health care you question everything. Partnering with Hillcrest Home Care will help answer those questions, including the most important one - Will my loved one be well cared for and his or her quality of live maintained - in a safe, affordable and convenient manner?

Hillcrest home Care is a licensed and Medicare Certified home health care agency. We employ all of our in-home caregiver and provide screening, training, insurance and supervision. Our staff supports a full range of customized services. Out initial assessment is a crucial step to ensure that you needs are identified and matched with the skills and competencies of the chosen caregiver.

We provide home health care services on an hourly basis throughout Washington Douglas, Sarpy, Cass and Pottawattamie counties.

For your convenience, Hillcrest Home Care is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We are always here to help whether you have a question, concern or immediate need.

Yes, we have a Registered Nurse on-call seven days a week, around the clock. You can rest assured that we are here for you when you need us, including holidays and after normal business hours.

Yes, all of our team members are employees of Hillcrest Home Care. We take our responsibilities seriously and provide all employee screening, training, insurance, and supervision.

In-service workshops cover topics ranging from elder abuse, domestic violence, home safety, diet/meal preparation, Alzheimer's disease, Universal Precautions, HIPPA, and much more. Freedom Eldercare is a New Jersey licensed Training Center and offers these state approved Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) training classes throughout the year for both our employees as well as those of our partners.

Yes, all applicants are subject to a check on the current status of their license and a criminal background prior to employment.

Since all of our caregivers are fully employed by Hillcrest Home Care, each is individually insured through our professional liability insurance policy and fully bonded for your peace of mind and protection.

Yes, as a full-service home health care provider, Hillcrest Home Care offers customized packages to meet the individual needs of each client-from hourly rates to reduced, flat fees for live-in services.

Yes, we train our caregivers in specialized disease management techniques. Freedom Eldercare employees are specially trained to assist clients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, depression, cancer, cardiac, orthopedic and other chronic health care conditions.

Since all of our caregivers are fully employed by Hillcrest Home Care, we handle all social security, disability and all income tax withholdings. This protects our clients and their families from the burdensome paperwork and tax liabilities they face when hiring someone independently or through a third party employment or brokerage agency.

All Hillcrest Home Care employees are required to follow a nurse's care plan and must formally record their daily activities. A record of this daily log is always left with the client. Your aide will document a description of all services provided, including dates and times. This confidential information can only be viewed by the client and/or client's family.

All Hillcrest Home Care employees are required to follow a nurse's care plan and must formally record their daily activities. A record of this daily log is always left with the client. Your aide will document a description of all services provided, including dates and times. This confidential information can only be viewed by the client and/or client's family.

Yes, we do our best to schedule the same caregiver. We believe in building relationships and providing continuity of care. This is especially important for those clients where we provide long-term, live-in care.

Yes, you can request a caregiver change at any time. All you have to do is let us know and we will take care of the rest.

After the initial assessment, if you decide to retain our services, we will clearly outline the care plan in a Service Agreement. This agreement ensures that everyone involved has a clear understanding of the care that we will provide.

There is no long-term commitment or contract required with Hillcrest Home Care. Due to the nature of our services, we offer flexible terms of agreement that only require 48-hour advance notice for any changes or cancellations.

We bill twice a month, every other Friday. We bill for the preceding two weeks of service and all invoices are itemized by date and time of service, ensuring you only pay for services already rendered.

In certain cases, the cost of care may be tax deductible. Since individual situations vary, be sure to consult your accountant.

No. We require no long-term commitment or contract. We also have flexible terms that only require 48 hours notice for changes or cancellations of our services.