Certified Family Homes 3/29/2010
What is a Certified Family Home?
A Certified Family Home is a home where one or two adults who are elderly, have a mental illness, physical disability, or developmental disability live in a safe, family style setting, normally within their own community. These residents may need some assistance with activities of daily living, but do not require the more complex care normally found in a nursing home or intermediate care facility for individuals with mental retardation. Each resident has a tailored care plan designed to meet their individual needs and to ensure they have the opportunity to participate in community activities.
The Certified Family Home is operated by a provider who has received the appropriate training and demonstrated the knowledge and experience to provide safe and effective services to the residents. There are over 1600 Certified Family Homes in communities across Idaho. Certified Family Homes are designed to delay or prevent the need for people to enter an institution for long-term care, like nursing homes. Families who provide such care share their homes and provide the care for adults who are not longer able to live alone because they need protection, security, supervision, encouragement toward independence and help with daily living activities such as bathing, dress, and personal hygiene. A Certified Family Home Provider can provide services to a family member but not a spouse. For example, parents can take care of disabled adult children or adult children can take care of disabled parents. Certified Family Homes are only for adults.
How to Choose a Certified Family Home
Start by learning the personal likes and dislikes of the individual needing the home. A small, home-like residence which gives individual attention and care may be ideal for one individual and may be hated by someone else. Sometimes the ability to continue with a hobby or have a pet accompany the person guides all the decisions that need to be made.
Take genuine stock of what is most important in your loved one’s life and make sure this can be maintained, if at all possible. When considering the choices, make sure that you look at the options from the point of view of the individual who will be living there. After a scheduled tour and obtaining the general information, make an unscheduled drop-in stop later to see if there are any differences. Pay special attention to the convenience of: location, visiting hours, visiting areas, food, types of care rendered, ancillary services, staffing, daily activities, religious activities, and safety/security issues. Don't be afraid to make as many trips back as necessary to get all your questions answered.
Will Insurance Cover Certified Family Home Costs?
Residents who move into a Certified Family Home can receive Medicaid funded services from the provider by either the Aged and Disabled Waiver or the Developmental Disabilities Waiver or they can pay privately. Some long term care insurance plans will cover the cost of Certified Family Homes. Medicare does not cover payment in Certified Family Homes.
Get More Information
By phone, you can call the 2-1-1 Idaho CareLine by dialing 2-1-1 or 1-800-926-2588 to get the contact information of your local Regional Medicaid office.
If you are interested in becoming a Certified Family Home Provider, please contact your local Regional Medicaid office and ask to speak with the Certified Family Home Specialist.