Gilbert Guide’s Standards & Criteria for Senior Services

Read about Gilbert Guide’s standards and criteria for homecare, hospice and geriatric care managers.

Gilbert Guide also has standards and criteria for senior care facilities, including adult day care, adult day health care, assisted living facilities, CCRCs and nursing homes.

Gilbert Guide relies on the highest and most widely recognized standards of professional excellence for the complete range of senior care facilities and services, including homecare agencies. Many of the homecare agencies Gilbert Guide recommends are members of the National Private Duty Association (NPDA)—an organization whose standards of practice are highly regarded within the industry. A complete list of practice standards can be found at www.privatedutyhomecare.org. Each of the homecare agencies awarded a Gilbert Guide Seal implements the following standards regarding all caregivers:

• Conducts a criminal background check
• Provides worker’s compensation insurance
• Maintains professional liability insurance or bond
• Covers all payroll taxes
• Provides ongoing supervision
• Provides 24-hour oncall supervisors
• Provides caregiver training

The NPDA is a fairly new organization, and while Gilbert Guide recognizes its potential to be a leading force in the industry, we also recognize that as the organization continues to build its membership, many reputable homecare agencies are not currently members.

Additional Standards for Homecare

There are two other major sources for obtaining homecare services: referral agencies and private-hire caregivers. Gilbert Guide does not award seals to either referral agencies or private-hire caregivers for the following reasons. The guidelines for caregivers who are referred through an agency are set by the individual agencies and are not standardized, making it impossible to assess the quality of care except on a caregiver-by-caregiver basis. The same holds true for private-hire caregivers. Gilbert Guide therefore awards seals to reputable agencies—not individuals—that screen, train, supervise and employ their caregivers.

Overview of Services Provided

In-home caregivers perform a range of services. A caregiver employed by a homecare agency with a Gilbert Guide Seal will offer the following services:

• Conducts a care assessment and creates a care plan
• Assists clients in bathing, grooming, dressing and toileting
• Provides transportation
• Tracks medication and provides reminders
• Prepares meals
• Performs light housekeeping tasks
• Provides laundry service
• Runs errands and does grocery shopping
• Helps with bill paying and record keeping

Learn more about homecare by visiting our Care at Home Learning Center.

Hospice and Palliative Care

Gilbert Guide relies on the highest and most widely recognized standards of professional excellence for the complete range of senior care facilities and services, including Hospice and Palliative Care.

Every hospice agency awarded a Gilbert Guide Seal meets the following standards:

• Meets all licensing requirements
• Medicare certified
• Caregivers are trained, supervised and monitored
• On-call supervisor is available 24 hours a day

Learn more about hospice by visiting our End-of-Life Learning Center.

Gilbert Guide relies on the highest and most widely recognized standards of professional excellence for the complete range of senior care facilities and services, including geriatric care managers. Many of the geriatric care managers and agencies Gilbert Guide recommends are members of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM)—an organization whose standards of practice are highly regarded within the industry. A complete list of practice standards can be found on the NAPGCM website. All GCMs listed in Gilbert Guide meets the following standards:

Holds an undergraduate degree or higher in a field directly related to care management, such as counseling, gerontology, nursing, social work or psychology along with two years of supervised work in the field

        OR

Is a registered nurse without an undergraduate degree who has provided elder client services under direct supervision for three or more years.

Overview of Services

Geriatric Care Managers perform a range of services in the course of senior care. Every GCM with a Gilbert Guide Seal performs the following services:

• Conducts a comprehensive client assessment, evaluating the individual's levels of functioning as well as health, emotional, financial and legal needs.
• Performs a home safety check, makes recommendations and orchestrates the necessary changes.
• Screens, arranges and monitors in-home care.
• Assists with client's financial and legal issues.
• Offers cost-effective solutions to client needs.
• Is available for emergencies.
• Works with doctors and other healthcare professionals to implement the care plan.
• Makes home visits and provides telephone reassurance to client.
• Provides regular updates to family members and involved healthcare
  professionals.
• Acts as a liaison for families who live remotely.
• Recommends, arranges and facilitates activities that promote increased
  socialization and/or intellectual stimulation.
• Prepares the home when a client returns from a hospital stay.
• Evaluates alternative living arrangements.

Learn more about geriatric care managers—along with other caregiver resources—by visiting our Caregiving Learning Center.