Frequently Asked Questions
If I have a concern or question about scheduling, can I reach someone human?
Isn’t it sad that, in today’s world, we even have to ask this question? Our answer is, “Of course you will!” For the quickest answer we encourage you to call weekdays, from 9AM to 5PM. If you call on the weekend, be assured you will reach a responsible human being who will have another responsible human being call you with an answer.
If I am worried about mom/dad can I call Serenity?
Of course you can… any time you like. There is someone on call 24/7.
For the fastest response, we encourage you to call weekdays, 9AM to 5PM.
You’ll encounter a responsible, knowledgeable human being who will do one of two things: (1) Address your concern immediately, or (2) contact me, Rene Ryan, the owner, and I’ll get back to you pronto. Never hesitate to call us with your concerns.
Is there a minimum number of hours per visit?
After almost 20 years of caring for the elderly we’ve figured out a couple things.
One of those things is that a visiting aide needs time to properly care for your loved one. Then the aide needs time to prepare for their next shift. We have found, over the years, that 4 hours is the minimum time our aides need to do their job properly… then prepare for the next visit. It’s one of the reasons why we have a stellar aide-retention track record… so your loved one sees the same caregiver, visit after visit.
Can your aides drive my mom or dad in their own (aide’s) personal car? Can your aide drive mom or dad’s car? If mom or dad take a medical transport or taxi, can they accompany them to appointments and take notes for me if I am unable to go? Will your aides accompany them on an outing or special occasion… like a wedding?
Transporting or accompanying our clients on outings are tasks we perform all the time. Our aides can drive their own, personal car. They can also drive your mom or dad’s car. Our aides routinely travel with clients to medical appointments and act as ‘scripes’, if you wish. They are also trained to ask the examining physician for a written Visit Summary to provide to family members.
We take our clients on outings all the time!
What happens if my mom or dad has a stroke or falls or looses consciousness for some reason? Will your aides accompany them to the hospital and wait for my arrival?
Our aides are trained to respond very professionally in any kind of emergency.
If they deem a situation to be emergent, they will call 911 immediately…
preparing for the arrival of emergency personnel while keeping your loved one comfortable. Our aides will not leave their client’s side for any reason until a family member relieves them of their responsibility.
Are the aides supervised, by whom and how often? Do they receive ongoing training? Does a nurse visit? How often?
Our aides are supervised by a nurse monthly in your home.
On each visit, our nurse assists our aides in orienting their care regimen to the specific needs of our client.
Also, all aides are required to receive 12 hours of training each year to keep their certification. And at Serenity, we train our aides (1) whenever we feel additional training might be needed and (2) whenever our aides ask for more training.
Are on-call nurses available 24 hours/day-7 days/ week for emergencies ?
Absolutely! There is a nurse available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week for any emergencies, concerns or questions you or your caregiver may have. Never hesitate to call us.
How much advance notice do I have to give to cancel services?
We understand life throws curve balls at us all the time! We’ll work with you when those curve balls start to fly at you! But… in almost all instances… we request 24-hours lead time for shift changes.
If I want to go away, can Serenity cover the 24-hours while I am gone for Respite?
Yes, we can. For instances like this, we like a little more lead time than the normal 24-hours.
Is there anything that the aides cannot do?
Yes, to a certain extent. The New York State Department of Health dictates what aides can and can’t do, especially medically. Because these rules are lengthy and complicated we recommend that you call us at (585)-624-4550 with your specific concerns.
Do we have to provide meals for the on-duty aides?
Absolutely not. Our aides bring their own food to your home.
How does billing work?
How we bill depends entirely upon the amount of service we are providing you and your family. Overall, we bill monthly… either by mail or electronically. For cases where our aides are on duty more than 12-hours/day, we bill weekly.
If I or my loved one require extra care, that is, outside the scope of what Serenity normally does… how is that handled?
We have numerous outside partners that we call upon frequently to assist our clients. These are folks we’ve worked with for years and who we trust completely. If a situation does arise where one of our clients requires special care, we will help you find a trustworthy person or company to help you. We do this for our clients without hesitation.
When does mom or dad have to leave their home? Do they always have to?
The decision to leave the family home is difficult to make, at best. So, part of what we do for you is assess your loved one’s abilities and the safety state of the home. If we believe mom or dad is safe in the family home, we will not recommend moving. But… if we believe your loved one cannot safely live in the home… if the home is simply too dangerous for them to navigate… we may recommend that they leave for a safer setting. All decisions of this nature are made with client family input, of course.
Does Serenity provide hospice, physical therapy, occupational therapy or access to social workers and volunteers?
Not directly. However, we have active contracts with numerous other agencies that do. For example, we refer cases to Visiting Nurse Service and Lifetime Care. We work closely with them to coordinate care.
If one of your aides takes mom and dad shopping, who drives? Who pays?
Our aides can drive their own vehicle or your family’s vehicle. As a rule, we ask that our client have their own credit card to pay for purchases. In unusual circumstances, we can work through a different payment protocol.
How do the aides know what to do? What if their role changes or expands?
Our on-staff nurse creates a personalized, written care plan for every client before care begins. This plan is prepared with the close cooperation of our client, their family members and their MD. Our nurse makes both routine and unscheduled visits to client homes and revises the care plan as needed.
Do the aides give medications? Can they give mom her insulin? Can they check her blood sugar levels?
Aides cannot dispense meds to a client. Only a nurse can do that.
But… our aides can (and do!) remind their client to take their meds at the prescribed time.
Also, our aides can setup a glucometer and assist with pre-injection setup… but they cannot draw the insulin or actually give the injection.
If our client receives their insulin using an insulin ‘pen’, our aides can direct the client to the correct dosage setting.
Aides cannot setup a med box on their own… but, our nurse and any family member can.
If you have additional questions, I urge you to call us directly at (585)624-4550.
We’d love to hear from you.