Frequently Asked Questions
About Care Coordinators
 What if I can’t remember my Care Coordinator’s name?
The person who answers the telephone at Friends Life Care at Home keeps a list of all of our members and their Care Coordinators. This person can tell you the name of your Care Coordinator.
Will my Care Coordinator be there when I call?
Chances are, your Care Coordinator will be out of the office visiting other members when you call. That’s how our Care Coordinators spend most of their time.
- If your call is urgent and you need immediate attention, any one of our Care Coordinators or the Director of Care Coordination can assist you. One Care Coordinator is assigned responsibility for handling emergency calls each day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- If your call is not urgent, you can leave a voicemail message, and your personal Care Coordinator will call you back as quickly as possible. Our Care Coordinators are committed to responding promptly to your needs.
If my Care Coordinator is out of the office, how will another Care Coordinator know what to do?
Rest assured that all of our Care Coordinators are highly trained. Together, they function as a team to care for our members. Care Coordinators communicate with each other regularly and are kept informed about our members’ needs.
What if I don’t like my personal Care Coordinator?
Friends Life Care at Home carefully screens all Care Coordinators prior to their employment and thoroughly checks their references. Our Care Coordinators must meet certain educational and experience requirements and have a history of working with an aging population. Typically, the same candidate is interviewed at least three times, including a final interview with the president of Friends Life Care at Home.
Occasionally — no matter how well qualified a Care Coordinator is — personalities just don’t seem to fit, despite everyone’s best efforts. That’s just the way life is. Should this be the case for you, do not hesitate to contact the Director of Care Coordination to request a change. She’ll want to understand your reasons so she can suggest a better match for you, and so she can follow-up and provide feedback to your current Care Coordinator.
About Services
Who decides what home-care services I need?
Your Care Coordinator will conduct a detailed functional assessment based on a discussion with you about your issues and needs. If you wish, you can select a family member or ask your durable power of attorney to participate. Based on your requirements for assistance with the activities of daily living, the quantity, frequency, duration and kinds of services will be established during this discussion and recorded in your care plan. You sign the care plan and keep a copy.
How quickly can I get care?
The more time we have to make arrangements for your care, the easier it is to select and assign a home health aide that can address your specific situation. If you are hospitalized or have a hospitalization scheduled, it is wise to let your Care Coordinator know as soon as possible whether you may need care upon your discharge.
Who decides if I need care in an assisted living facility or nursing home?
A decision to move to an assisted living facility or nursing home typically involves your Care Coordinator and your personal physician, in addition to you, your designated family member(s) and/or your durable power of attorney. The decision is based on the conclusion that, given your current health condition, your home is no longer safe and manageable. The Medical Director of Friends Life Care at Home is also available to participate in this decision.
How do I select an assisted living facility or a nursing home?
Friends Life Care at Home maintains contracts with trusted assisted living facilities and nursing homes throughout the region. These facilities have undergone our strict Quality Credentialing process, which, among many other measures, includes a critical review and investigation of the following:
- Staffing ratios
- Staff turnover
- Inspections conducted by regulatory and accreditation authorities
- Cleanliness standards
- An observation of residents
Your Care Coordinator can arrange for you or your family member to visit these facilities to determine whether one is right for you.
What if I have a facility in mind that is not part of the Friends network?
You may also select an assisted living facility or a nursing home that is not part of the Friends Life Care at Home network. Your Care Coordinator can help arrange visits to the facilities of your choice to help you evaluate their quality and appropriateness. Whether you select a facility in our network, or find one of your own, you will be responsible for any additional fees above your daily plan benefit.
What if I want to move to a facility out of the area, closer to my friends or family?
In some instances, members who need care in an assisted living facility or a nursing home prefer to select a facility close to family members who may reside outside the Friends Life Care at Home geographic area. In this circumstance, the family typically takes responsibility for making the selection.
About Caregivers
Where do the home health aides come from?
Friends Life Care at Home has an established, trusted network of contracted home health-care providers throughout the geographic area we serve. These agencies are experienced in hiring, training and monitoring home health aides and have undergone our Quality Credentialing process. In the unusual circumstance that one of these contracted providers cannot serve your needs, the Care Coordinator will locate an agency in the geographic area that can provide the required care.
Some home health aides in Pennsylvania are employees of our subsidiary, Intervention Associates. Intervention Associates became part of the Friends Life Care at Home System in 2000.
Are home health aides bonded or insured?
As part our Quality Credentialing process for contracted providers, home health-care agencies are required to provide proof of liability insurance and, if applicable, workers’ compensation insurance at levels established by Friends Life Care at Home.
Bonding refers to a specific type of insurance that covers employees who handle money on behalf of an organization; because home health aides do not handle money, bonding is not necessary or required.
All home health aides, as well as Friends Life Care at Home staff, are required by state law to undergo criminal background checks prior to employment.
What if I don’t like my home health aide?
Home health aides are there to assist you with tasks that you no longer can perform on your own, whether temporarily or permanently. This relationship is very personal; it is important that you get along well and communicate effectively. Friends Life Care at Home is committed to finding the right match for you. Your Care Coordinator will contact you soon after service has been established to find out how things are working out and to make changes if necessary. We aim to reduce your stress while you are recuperating, not add to it.
About Relocating
What happens if I move somewhere else after I become a member?
If you relocate anywhere in the U.S. after you become a member, you carry your Friends Life Care at Home plan with you. After your relocation, your Care Coordinator will keep in touch based on a schedule that the two of you agree upon.
What happens if I need care while I’m traveling?
If you require our services while traveling or visiting anywhere in the U.S., you receive coverage under the Friends Life Care at Home plan. We pay a flat rate for care if you travel outside the United States.
About Confidentiality
Who has access to information about my health?
As a health-care provider, Friends Life Care at Home is in full compliance with the Health Insurance Privacy and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This Act requires us to develop policies and procedures for safeguarding your protected health information. We take your privacy seriously. You will be given information regarding these policies when you enroll in the Affordable Life Care Plan.
About Costs
What about up-front fees? I’ve heard that continuing care providers charge large entry fees.
Continuing care providers are legally required to charge an entry fee, but it does not have to be paid in a large up-front sum. Friends Life Care at Home is considered a “continuing care retirement community without walls.” As such, the organization meets all the regulatory requirements of a continuing care provider, including reserves, disclosure, membership meetings, annual financial audits, and more. To make the plan easier and more affordable, our “entry fees” are folded into the regular flat payments members make annually or monthly, according to preference.
Why aren’t prices posted on this Web site?
The Affordable Life Care Plan isn’t sold off a price list. It is a highly personalized plan with many options to choose from. In addition, variables such as your age at the time of purchase, the type of plan and level of daily benefit you select, and the deductible you choose (if any), all enter into the calculation. Our Plan Counselors can help you carefully evaluate and select the options that are right for you and that fit within your budget |
