Home health care in Maine is subject to regulation by state law and certification, depending on the age and circumstances of the person in need of assistance. Elder services come under the state's provisions for Adult Protective Services, with safeguards against abuse, neglect or exploitation. For seriously ill persons who may not be elderly, the Home Care and Hospice Alliance of Maine says it acts as "a unified voice for affordable, accessible, quality home care and hospice services."
Home Care vs. Home Health Care
Maine distinguishes between agencies that provide qualified nursing care and those that provide companionship and other supportive or homemaker services.
Homemaker services can include meal preparation, bathing, dressing and transportation but not necessarily home health care of a medical nature.
Home health care, such as wound therapy, administration of medications, palliative care and physical therapy, must be done by licensed and certified professionals, according to state and federal requirements.
Laws
Maine law requires anyone going to someone's home to assist with health needs such as nursing, social work, speech, physical and occupational therapy to be certified by an agency approved by the state Department of Elder Services, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Individuals who seek to work as a personal support specialist and provide personal care such as bathing, dressing, toilet assistance and transferring the person from bed to chair or transporting to outside appointments must complete a 50-hour training program approved by the Office of Licensing and Regulatory Services.
PSS Training Programs
A list of approved administrators for personal support specialist (PSS) training for home care providers in Maine is maintained at the Department of Health and Human Services website at maine.gov/dhhs/oes/pca/pca_training.htm. They range from the York County office of the American Red Cross to the Adult Education Program in Caribou to Helping Hands in Winslow. The PSS training program also includes units on home management and the aging process and diseases.
Finding Home Care
A 101-page booklet called "Home Care: Where To Find It" can be downloaded as a PDF or Word document from Maine's Office of Elder Services, at maine.gov/dhhs/oes/home_care/homecare.htm. It is an extensive guide to home health care in Maine and stipulates that government financial assistance is available for most of the programs listed, without a minimum income requirement.
The guide lists several pages of homemaker/home care agencies, home health agencies and hospice services. Each county in Maine has an extensive list.
Considerations
The emphasis on home health care in Maine is geared toward helping people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. Options such as Meals on Wheels, adaptive equipment that can help someone be more independent or an emergency response system may make a difference to a person who is trying to continue living at home.
Long-Term Care Assessment
At some point, especially when dementia or Alzheimer's becomes an issue or another serious illness is present, the agency designated to conduct long-term care assessments should be contacted. In Maine, this agency is Goold Health Systems, which has registered nurses throughout the state who provide free assessments. These assessments are required by Maine law for anyone who is entering a nursing home but can be done at any time upon request. Goold Health Systems can be contacted at 800-609-7893.
