The PSS Home Care Difference

In our recent blog, we have tackled the many benefits of hiring your caregiver through a home care agency. In the said article, we have also discussed the several risks involved when hiring a private caregiver. Now, PSS HOME CARE wants to help you streamline your selection process, making it easier and less stressful for you. How? We just want to suggest that maybe it is not a bad idea after all to include us in your list of choices. Or better yet, to have the privilege to become the solution to your home care dilemma.

Finding the right home care provider for you or your loved ones can be a daunting task. There are literally hundreds of home care agencies that you can choose from nowadays. Just by googling “Home Care agency” will give you thousands of results, and not to mention the other referrals from your social worker, doctor, nurse, friends, or even from print ads. But it is possible. Choosing the right home care agency involves a major life decision that could affect and influence the health and recovery of the person involved. Therefore, picking a provider hastily without further evaluation and investigation, or on the sole basis of price could actually bring more inconvenience and stress, or could even be fatal.

We want to highlight some of the strong points of our home care agency (PSS Home Care) that have helped us to obtain our positive reputation among seniors, hospitals, insurance companies, social workers, and doctors. We want to emphasize how we can help you and your loved ones, and how we can address your specific needs. We are not saying that we are the best provider in the market, as most of the agencies would normally claim these days. Although, we cannot deny the fact that most of our clients have used the said adjective to describe us and our service. Being the biggest, or having the most number of affiliations are great factors. We get that. But we also believe that these do not guarantee the ideal service that your loved one truly needs. Sometimes, hiring the biggest or the most famous is disadvantageous as it may diminish the quality of service and immediate attention you deserve as an individual client.

The objective of PSS Home Care is to keep you and your loved ones happy, safe, and satisfied. Our main concern is your 100% satisfaction. Here are the top 10 reasons why we could meet, or even exceed your expectations:

1. COMPREHENSIVE BACKGROUND CHECK. Background checks for home care are a critical part of caring for your loved one. This one seems obvious, but not all agencies are willing to spend the extra money. PSS Home Care does extensive background tests on all its employees as well as drug tests. A background check is important because the home health aide spends a lot of time with your loved one. And in the real world, you can’t be present at all times to watch and observe. You’re not completely aware of what’s happening between them when you’re not at home.

2. EMPLOYEE SELECTION. The hiring process of PSS Home Care is being praised, not just by its clients, but by its applicants and employees as well. Why? Many agencies will hire just about anyone and send them out to care for people who have very specific needs, without conducting a thorough screening process, especially if confronted by time and management pressures, or lack of manpower. Some agencies would not even check the validity of the applicant’s certification (e.g. CNA or HHA certifications) or work documents. In PSS, verification of employees’ certifications and documents is a must. We also conduct a series of in-depth, one-on-one interviews with Human Resources, nursing staff, and the management team. Another impressive part of our selection process is we ask situational, behavioral, and technical interview questions to qualify and evaluate the candidates. For example, if we’re looking for a caregiver for a person with Dementia, we would normally ask the applicant some situational questions like his/her would-be approach if the person is wandering, or if the latter is confused. Of course, it is our duty to make sure that our caregivers are absolutely ready to do a great job before we send them to our client’s home.

3. EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION. PSS Home Care requires that all its newly-hired employees to attend and complete the company orientation. And this is not just a little chitchat with an HR representative, or just playing a video presentation in the conference room while the hiring manager is drinking coffee outside. The orientation lasts for hours and is being conducted by a representative of each department. We take this employee orientation seriously because we want to make sure that the caregivers are fully-equipped with the knowledge and understanding, and are even aware of the do’s and don’ts, the culture, preference, and even the beliefs of the clients, before we deploy them to their respective assignments.

4. CARING CULTURE. Yes, this statement is a cliché. Perhaps almost all home care agencies have put this description in their webpages. It is understandable nonetheless because being caring is the number one trait required by most clients for their caregivers. Having said that, we would like to encourage (and challenge) you to give us a shot, so that you can experience a higher level of caring. The genuine care at its finest. We provide compassionate, authentic care, not just for the sake of money, but because being caring is already embedded in our identity, in our culture. It is a part of our upbringing since childhood to genuinely care for our fellowmen. We are passionate about providing excellence in our care for the seniors and their families whom we serve as clients and whom we grow to love. That is all that we do and we do it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

5. UPBEAT AND ENERGETIC COMPANIONS. We smile a lot. That’s a fact. It is our habit to practice stability and grace under pressure. Being happy and positive amidst the trials. And we motivate our employees to apply these virtues in their everyday lives as well. We constantly train our staff to think, act, and be positive at all times despite hardship and pressure, especially when spending time with clients. We believe that having energetic, compassionate and friendly staff will also help and encourage your loved ones to live better in every way – greater fulfillment and healthier, happier lifestyle.

6. AVAILABILITY, 24/7. Whether you have planned in advance for home health care or face a crisis and need an immediate solution, we are available to you when you need us, where you need us. Our staff can be reached all day and night, all week, every day of the year, including holidays. You can even communicate directly with our management team. Yes, you read that right! You can contact our managers directly, unlike in most home care agencies where you are normally greeted and served by voice prompts and customer service representatives. At PSS Home Care, YOU are truly a valued customer. Your call is really important to us. We have the resources to provide you with care, no matter what. For example, if your home health aide is sick, you won’t go without the services you require—we can send in a back-up at a moment’s notice.

7. MEDICAL EXPERTISE. Providing our clients with the highest quality home health care is not only about having a thoughtful, friendly and caring caregivers come into their homes. Our staff is all of those things – but there’s more. Our nurses and operations team have several years of experience. Experiences that have already proven something great in the industry at hand. Therefore, we certainly know how to provide the medical care our clients need. With the strict implementation of our company’s Quality Improvement Plan and consistent In-Service Home Care training for our staff, we guarantee excellent Home Care service for our clients.

8. LICENSED, BONDED, and INSURED. In the search for a caregiver for a loved one, many will hear the advice to only hire someone if they are licensed and bonded. This is correct. PSS Home Care bonds and insures all of our Caregivers. Bonded and insured caregivers protect seniors and their families against any potential loss or liability lawsuits. Oftentimes, homeowner’s insurance does not fully cover job-related injuries, unless specific requests are made. All PSS Home Care Caregivers are considered to be company employees and are covered by general and professional liability insurance, along with workers’ compensation. Apart from being licensed, bonded, and insured, our company is also a licensed Home Care agency by New York State Department of Health. Also, it is worth noting that PSS Home Care accepts major Long Term Care Insurances, and we may even manage the paperwork for you and your clients, as a courtesy.

9. MEMBER OF HOME CARE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE (HCA). We are also proud to say that we are currently a member of HCA. It is the state’s premier home care association. They’re an advocate for quality, community-based care, representing hundreds of dedicated providers and home care workers and communicating with policymakers in Albany and Washington. HCA provides us with a resource for information, professional development, education and training opportunities. This assures you, our clients, that we only deliver outstanding quality service, and that we are constantly being updated and trained in the industry.

10. COMMUNICATION SKILLS. This is one of the remarkable skills that makes us stand out among other home care agencies. At PSS Home Care, our staff can communicate effectively in English, in a caring, clear, and accommodating manner. We also provide monthly trainings to enhance communication with clients. This is especially important when there are challenges with cognitive skills or memory that sometimes get in the way of clear communication. We also teach our staff to be culturally sensitive, more patient, and flexible in order to maintain a friendly and enriching atmosphere with our clients.

Aside from these strong points, we have also started publishing relevant blogs and newsletters that are timely and informative for our staff and clients. We are also being referred by our community partners that serve and support Holocaust survivors in the area, due to the client satisfaction we continuously provide.

PSS Home Care is truly committed to providing the highest quality care for our clients, supporting them to live independently in their own homes. As what our clients would normally comment, we raise the bar in Home Care service. We realize that you have a choice when it comes to selecting a private pay home care agency. But our promise to you is that when you choose PSS Home Care, you’re getting one of the most experienced health care providers in the state. Our personalized approach has helped a lot of clients improve the quality of their lives and remain safely at home. Try us – and see for yourself. Experience our top-of-the-line care, the care you and your loved ones truly deserve. If you’re ready to experience the PSS Home Care difference, give us a call at 718-752-9833. We’re more than happy to take care of you and your loved ones.