Certified Home Health Aides in Toms River, NJ
Certified aides who help at home with bathing, dressing, meals and moving safely, arranged from our Toms River office for families across Ocean and Monmouth Counties.
- New Jersey License #HP0314200
- CHAP accredited
- BBB accredited, A+ rating
- Registered nurse oversees every care plan
- Free in-home assessment
Families searching for a home health aide are usually looking for a trained caregiver to help a loved one with bathing, dressing, meals and getting around the house. Award Homecare provides that help from our office at 2214 Route 37 East in Toms River, and most of our caregivers are certified home health aides. We are a licensed, non-medical home care agency serving Ocean and Monmouth Counties. A registered nurse oversees every care plan, and care begins with a free in-home assessment.
What a Home Health Aide Does
The State of New Jersey describes a certified home health aide as a professional caregiver who helps people maintain their personal health and hygiene at home. The work can include bathing, dressing, meal preparation and grocery shopping, as well as planning doctor's appointments and transportation. The aide follows a written care plan developed by a registered nurse, who supervises the aide's work.
Most of our caregivers are certified home health aides, and a very small number work only as companions and are not certified. Depending on the care plan, our care includes bathing and personal hygiene, dressing and grooming, incontinence care, mobility and transfer assistance, medication reminders, meals, light housekeeping and companionship. We also care for clients who are bed bound.
How New Jersey Certifies Home Health Aides
"Certified home health aide" is a specific state credential. According to the New Jersey Department of Human Services, certification by the New Jersey Board of Nursing requires the following.
76 Hours of Training
Sixty classroom hours and 16 clinical, hands-on hours. Some nursing students may apply without completing the full course.
Skills and a Written Exam
The aide must demonstrate the required skills and pass a written examination.
A Background Check
Every applicant must pass a background check before certification.
Renewal Every Two Years
Certifications expire every two years and must be renewed. Certified aides are listed in an online directory that providers use to confirm their status.
The state lists several kinds of employers for certified aides. They include home health agencies, assisted living residences and programs, comprehensive personal care homes, nonprofit homemaker-home aide agencies and health care service firms. Award Homecare is a licensed Health Care Service Firm, New Jersey License #HP0314200.
Certification and Your Loved One's Caregiver
Most of our caregivers are certified home health aides, and a very small number work only as companions and are not certified. We confirm each certification as part of our caregiver screening. Screening also includes a background check, references, health or TB screening, an interview and training. Our office tells families the name of the caregiver assigned to their loved one and whether they are certified, and we are glad to show the certification on request.
Families can also check with the state. In a 2016 release, New Jersey advised families to ask the Division of Consumer Affairs to verify whether the nurses or aides an agency sends are licensed or certified. The Division's online Regulated Business License/Registration Search confirms an agency's own registration by business name or license number.
Each caregiver is matched to your loved one's personality and needs. Award Homecare is CHAP accredited, insured and bonded, and carries workers' compensation coverage.
Our Caregivers and Medicare Home Health Compared
An aide may come from a home care agency such as ours or from a Medicare-certified home health agency. The two are arranged and paid for in different ways, and some families use both.
| Award Homecare | Medicare home health | |
|---|---|---|
| What the aide helps with | Personal care, meals, housekeeping, errands and companionship, on the schedule your family chooses. | Hands-on care such as help with walking, bathing, grooming and changing bed linens, only while the person also receives skilled nursing or therapy. |
| Hours | Hourly Care in shifts of at least four hours (20 hours a week minimum), overnight care, live-in care and 24-hour shifts. | Part-time or intermittent visits. Round-the-clock care at home is not covered. |
| How it is arranged | Your family contacts us directly, and care begins with a free in-home assessment. | A doctor or other provider orders it for a homebound patient who needs skilled care, and a Medicare-certified home health agency provides it. |
| Who usually pays | Private pay, long-term care insurance or VA benefits. CareScout lists us as in-network. | Medicare, for covered services, when the patient qualifies. |
Award Homecare does not provide skilled nursing or medical care. When a loved one may need nursing or therapy at home, the physician can advise whether Medicare home health applies. Our team can also help your family reach a wound care doctor or other providers. Because home health visits are part-time, our caregivers can help in between. After a hospital or rehab stay, see our Hospital-to-Home Care.
Serving Toms River and Nearby Towns
Our office is on Route 37 East in Toms River, and our caregivers serve families across Ocean and Monmouth Counties. The towns we serve include:
- Toms River
- Brick
- Jackson
- Lakewood
- Manchester
- Point Pleasant
- Barnegat
- Lacey Township
- Middletown
- Marlboro
- Manalapan
- Freehold
- Holmdel
- Howell
- Wall
- Ocean Township
- Rumson
For a town not listed here, please call 732-994-0309. Our local pages cover home care in Toms River, home care in Lakewood, Ocean County and Monmouth County.
Arranging Help at Home
Call Our Office
Call 732-994-0309, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 7 PM, or send a request through our contact page. For urgent matters, a member of our team will return your call at any time.
Free In-Home Assessment
We visit your loved one at home to review daily routines, mobility, bathing, meals and the hours that would help.
Care Plan and Caregiver
A registered nurse oversees the care plan, and your dedicated case manager coordinates the details. We tell you the name of the caregiver assigned and whether they are certified.
Care Begins
Choose hourly, overnight, live-in or 24-hour care. A caregiver can often start within 24 hours, and at times the same day.
Paying for Care
Families pay for our care privately, through long-term care insurance or with VA benefits, and Award Homecare is in-network with CareScout. We do not accept Medicaid or JACC. A quote is given by phone or after the free in-home assessment. Our guide to home care costs in New Jersey explains what affects the price.
Home Health Aide Questions
Are your caregivers certified home health aides?
Most of our caregivers are certified home health aides, and a very small number work only as companions and are not certified. We confirm each certification during screening, and our office tells you whether the caregiver assigned to your loved one is certified and shows the certification on request.
Is a home health aide the same as home health care?
A home health aide is a caregiver, while home health care is a Medicare-covered program of skilled nursing and therapy. That program can include aide visits alongside the skilled care. Award Homecare provides non-medical home care, not skilled home health care.
Does Medicare pay for a home health aide?
Medicare pays for a home health aide only as part of home health care, when a homebound person also needs skilled nursing or therapy. It does not pay for personal care when that is the only care a person needs. Families pay for our caregivers privately, through long-term care insurance or with VA benefits.
Can a caregiver help with medications?
Our caregivers give medication reminders, but they do not give medicine, because we do not provide skilled nursing or medical care. Decisions about medication remain with your loved one's physician.
Who supervises the caregiver?
A registered nurse oversees every care plan and monitors your loved one's changing needs, and Galina serves as our Director of Nursing. Your family's dedicated case manager is your point of contact for any question or concern.
Do you provide caregivers outside Toms River?
Our caregivers serve families across Ocean and Monmouth Counties, including Brick, Jackson, Lakewood, Freehold, Howell and Middletown. For a town not listed on this page, please call 732-994-0309.
This information is general in nature and is not a substitute for advice from your loved one's physician or the program concerned.
Discuss Help at Home With Our Team
Call our Toms River office or request a free in-home assessment. We will review the help your loved one needs and explain how a caregiver is assigned.
Award Homecare LLC, 2214 Route 37 East, Suite 9, Toms River, NJ 08753. New Jersey License #HP0314200.
