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STATE
OF NEVADA
Aging and Disability Services Division
SERVICE
SPECIFICATIONS
VOLUNTEER
CARE
(Revised
6/05)
Any
exception to these Service Specifications must be requested in advance in
writing and approved by the Deputy Administrator.
SERVICE
DEFINITION:
This program provides
volunteer supportive and assistive services to seniors 60 years of age and older
in their own homes to help maintain their independence.
Individuals needing services are typically alone and frail, chronically
ill, homebound, and/or dependent on a primary caregiver.
SERVICE
CATEGORIES AND UNIT MEASURES:
The following service
categories and unit measures established by the Administration on Aging (AoA)
must be used to document the amount of service provided:
Volunteer
Care:
Provision of services by a trained Volunteer Care Provider (VCP),
according to a care plan developed jointly between the program and the client or
his/her caregiver. Services shall
include one or more of the following activities: oversight for personal care
activities; meal service; social/recreation activities; home and environmental
management; escort and/or transportation; respite for caregiver; information,
distribution of food/household products, referral and advocacy.
One unit equals one hour of
service performed.
SPECIFICATIONS
The program will develop an individualized care
plan that selects one or more of the following activities/services.
Tasks and activities to be performed in these categories are outlined
in Appendix A.
1.1
Oversight for Personal Care Activities
1.2
Meal Service and/or Assistance
1.3
Social/Recreation Activities
1.4
Home Management and Environment
1.5
Escort and/or Transportation, including assisting frail/disabled riders,
as necessary, in ambulating to the vehicle, boarding, fastening seat belts,
disembarking, and ambulating to destination points
1.6
Respite Care
1.7
Information, Referral and Advocacy
1.8
Food and/or Household Products Distribution
2.1
Volunteers and staff shall not accept tips, gifts, fees, loans or
anything of value from clients.
2.2
Volunteers and staff shall not smoke in client’s home.
2.3
Volunteers and staff shall not purchase alcohol or illegal substances for
clients.
2.4
Volunteers and staff shall not borrow the client's car or other personal
belongings.
2.5
Volunteers and staff shall not bring family members, other parties, or
pets to client’s home without supervisory approval
and client’s permission.
2.6
Volunteers and staff shall not provide health or personal hands-on care
unless qualified as a certified or registered health professional or skilled
personal care attendant.
3.1
Volunteer Care Providers shall not be assigned to work in unsafe or
unsanitary conditions.
3.2
Prior to providing services, Volunteer Care Providers are required to
have a fingerprint search conducted by the Nevada Highway Patrol Criminal
Information Services. The search
will include a review of records contained in the Nevada Criminal History
Repository.
3.3
The program shall maintain on file a copy of the current driver's
license and proof of vehicle insurance for Volunteer Care Providers who use
their personal vehicle to transport clients.
4.1
Client Assessment: A home
visit will be made to assess the client’s current needs and develop an
individual care plan prior to the start of service. (Appendix B)
4.1.1
All care plans must be
reviewed by the Volunteer Coordinator.
4.2
Service Plan: Establish a
plan to include the types of services, schedule and
responsibilities agreed upon, and the signatures of the client/caregiver
and volunteer coordinator. A signed
copy of the service plan must be provided to the client.
4.3
Client Reassessment: All
clients must be reassessed no less than every twelve
months, using the assessment areas noted in the Initial Assessment
document. A reassessment is
required whenever there is a substantial change in a client’s physical
condition, support system, or home environment.
Reassessment documentation must be recorded separate from the original
assessment documentation.
5.1
Each Volunteer Care Provider must complete an application form, listing
at least two references. The
application will be reviewed and
placed in his/her file.
5.2
Each Volunteer Care Provider must complete a registration form for a
security check and sign a waiver for release of information.
Copies will be maintained in agency files.
5.3
The program shall maintain on file a copy of the current driver’s
license and proof of vehicle insurance for Volunteer Care Providers who use
their personal vehicle to transport clients.
5.4
In addition to the assessment documentation outlined under Section
4, a log of visit reports shall be kept, indicating service(s) provided, time
spent for each visit, observations of change, if appropriate, and miles
traveled.
6.1
The program shall purchase volunteer insurance coverage that includes the
following:
6.1.1
Personal Liability with a
$1,000,000 limit;
6.1.2
Accident Insurance Protection with a $25,000 limit; and
6.1.3
Excess Automobile Liability with a $500,000 limit per accident.
6.2
There shall be a separate operating Board (Trustees, Directors, or
Advisory) with bylaws, policies, program financial accounting, and reporting
procedures.
7.1
Volunteer Care Providers who provide assisted transportation and other
services shall receive a minimum of ten
hours of home care instruction.
7.2
Five pre-service contact hours of education will be provided in the
following suggested areas that address the physical conditions and typical
situations of the frail elderly, chronically ill and disabled:
·
communication/sensory loss
(hearing, vision)
·
mobility and body mechanics
·
home safety
·
response to emergencies
·
oxygen equipment and its use
·
assistive devices and durable
medical equipment
·
caregiver respite and activities
of daily living
·
overview of common diseases and
conditions affecting client
·
population
·
safety procedures for
transporting, such as boarding and seat belt use
·
program policies and procedures
Five hours of follow-up in-service
orientation will be conducted within the first three months of service.
Suggested topics during this period include:
·
food and nutrition
·
elder abuse
·
heart attack and stroke effects
and responses
·
Alzheimer's Disease/dementia and
memory loss
·
dealing with grief
·
Health care professionals and
what they do
·
Medicare + Choice, Medicaid and
other resources
·
cultural sensitivity
7.3
Volunteer Care Providers who provide only assisted transportation shall
receive four pre-service contact hours of orientation on the following areas:
· review
of organizational policies, procedures and daily operations, including the
following: application;
fingerprinting; volunteer insurance and receipt of copies of vehicle insurance
and driver’s license.
· emergency procedures
· client responsibilities
· safety procedures for transporting, such as boarding and seat belt use
·
prevention of elder abuse
· demonstration of durable medical equipment such as wheelchair, walkers
and oxygen tank
·
the assistance of clients in
standing, transferring, and walking with/without a gait belt
· communication/sensory loss (hearing, vision)
· overview of common diseases, conditions and behavioral differences
affecting client population
· nutrition
· walking
· home safety/emergencies
· transferring the client
· living with stroke
Volunteer Coordinators will give follow-up
in-service training and information as requested or determined necessary.
8.1
A follow-up phone call will be made within the
first month after service begins to assure that the services provided meet
current needs.
8.2
A quality assurance visit (in-home or telephone
call) must be conducted every 12 months
or more frequently to determine:
·
the adequacy and appropriateness
of services in relation to needs
·
client satisfaction
·
changes in client status
·
necessary amendments to service
plan
·
necessity for referral(s), if
appropriate
APPENDIX
A
VOLUNTEER CARE PROVIDER
TASKS AND ACTIVITIES
The following activities may
be part of an approved service plan:
- Oversight
of personal care activities: bathing, ambulation, dressing, grooming and
related activities. No personal
care will be provided that requires a skilled personal care attendant.
- Provision
of grief support
- Assistance
in reality orientation/awareness
- Monitoring/awareness
of medication
- Assistance
with planning and preparation of meals, grocery shopping
- Sitting
at table with client and cleaning up afterwards
- Accompanying
client to a nutrition site
- Providing
companionship (i.e. listening, talking, playing games, etc.)
- Fostering
client contact with family and others
- Accompanying
client to recreational or social event
- Writing
letters, reading, assisting with correspondence
- Assistance
with pet(s), e.g. accompanying to vets
- Performing
light chores
- Referring
or making contact for housekeeping, repair, maintenance services
- Shopping,
doing errands
- Escort
and/or transport client to various medical appointments
- Escort
and/or transport client to needed service (e.g. food stamps, etc.)
- Take
client on outings
- Take
client shopping or on errands
- Provide
supervision of homebound clients to relieve primary caregivers. Activities
may include:
·
grooming, dressing
·
meal preparation, assistance with eating,
companionship
·
assistance in transferring
·
assistance with assistive devices
for mobility
·
medication reminders
APPENDIX B
VOLUNTEER
CARE PROVIDER
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
The client assessment must
document the condition of the client in the following areas:
- Medical
Status, including diagnosis (if known), recent hospitalization/reason.
- Physical
condition of client: areas of body impaired, severity of impairment(s)
- Assistive
devices used by client in performing Activities of Daily Living
(i.e. walker, cane, wheelchair, oxygen, etc.)
- Ambulation
- Vision
- Hearing
- Ability
to go outside the home without assistance
- Ability
to perform activities of daily living without assistance.
- Number
of persons in household and relationship to client
- Friends
and/or social contacts
- General
Appearance
- Hazards/Unsafe
Conditions
- Number/type
of pets
