Frequently Asked Questions

We offer both medical and non-medical home care services throughout most of Maricopa County, AZ. See our full-service area here.

There are common signs to look for that may indicate the need for home care services. Ask yourself the following questions about the person that may need care and contact us if the answer to any of the questions is “yes.”

1. Does he/she need assistance with activities of daily living – activities like bathing, dressing, and eating that people usually do without help?
2. Does he/she require ongoing medical treatment such as tube feedings or wound care, or assistance with medical equipment such as catheters, ostomy bags, or prostheses?
3. Are there concerns about his/her safety when left alone in the home?
4. Does he/she suffer from loneliness, isolation, depression, or need companionship?
5. Are family and friends unable to meet his/her needs without significant stress themselves?

Early warning signs that a person needs home care include:

• Difficulty with walking
• Difficulty with activities of daily living
• Falling at home
• Making mistakes with medications
• Confusion
• Depression
• Weight loss
• Disheveled appearance
• Frequent, nonspecific phone calls
• Frequent visits to the emergency room and/or frequent hospitalizations
• Family concerns about the individual

We offer a free in-home consultation to assist families with determining what level of care and what frequency of care an individual may need. We also have a registered nurse conduct an assessment to develop a personalized care plan to meet the client’s and family’s goals prior to the start of care.

Many hospital stays can be avoided! The key is to identify a change in condition at an early stage, when it is still possible to treat or resolve the issue in the home. Nightingale Homecare provides training to all of its caregivers to observe for even subtle changes.  Perhaps there is a change in appetite or an increase in the time it takes to complete activities. Maybe the client is more out of breath than usual after walking across the room. At Nightingale Homecare, these issues get reported to a Registered Nurse, who does further evaluation and makes a decision about what needs to happen next. Our nurses routinely communicate with our client’s primary care providers to make a plan for action. This intervention leads to early treatment for conditions that commonly cause clients to head to the hospital, such as heart failure, pneumonia or urinary tract infections.

Most other non-medical agencies do not have medical professionals on staff so all they can do is recommend the client to call their doctor or call 911 when medical issues arise.

Yes, we are licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services (license number HHA 0248), as well as certified as a Medicare home health provider. Very few non-medical companies in Arizona are licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

In most cases we can get care arranged within 24 hours or less.

Unlike most other agencies, we do NOT have a minimum number of hours that you must commit to.

Yes, many clients have nursing and/or therapy services as well as caregivers that help with daily living activities. Most non-medical care is paid for out of pocket or through long term care insurance policies, while nursing and professional services may be private pay, or may have been ordered by a doctor and paid for by Medicare or private insurance. With Nightingale, you can rest assured that your nurse will evaluate all of your needs and organize your care plan to incorporate all of the services you need and make sure that your insurance is billed when at all possible.

Providing safe, trusted care for seniors requires thoroughly vetting all staff through in-depth background checks including fingerprinting, professional references, driving records, and in-person interviews. Learn more here.

Absolutely; our 24-hour on-call team, including an on-call RN, is available any time, day or night, at (602) 504-1555.

Yes, we provide care wherever our clients call home.

Nightingale Homecare prides itself on matching clients to caregivers that can effectively meet their needs. Clients don’t have to interview caregivers, since Nightingale will happily and immediately replace any caregiver that is not a good fit. This is actually a benefit, since having to interview every caregiver prior to their placement would make it impossible to quickly get a replacement when needed, such as during a caregiver illness. We also work hard to limit the number of different caregivers that we assign to a client.

If a caregiver is sick, or otherwise detained, we will notify you immediately and discuss whether you would like a capable replacement caregiver, or prefer to reschedule.

Nightingale Homecare is experienced in delivering cost-effective home health care services designed to provide clients with the assistance they need. Our Case Managers design care plans that take finances into consideration.

If a client is unclear about whether insurance will pay for home health care services, Nightingale Homecare will be more than happy to contact the insurance company to verify available benefits. This is one more way we take the stress out of arranging for home care, especially at a difficult time.

When home health care services are ordered by a physician, they are most often paid for by a third party, such as Medicare or private insurance. In some situations, even doctor-ordered services will only be partially covered or will not be covered at all by insurance. In these situations, clients or their families must pay directly. We are happy to discuss your specific needs and wishes for home health care. Learn more here or just call!

• The services must be ordered by a physician.
• The client must qualify as homebound because of illness or because he or she needs assistance to safely leave home.
• The client must need part time or intermittent nursing care, or physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy.
• Home health aide services (i.e. bathing) are only covered if the patient is receiving nursing care, physical, or speech therapy.
• Routine medical supplies needed by the home health nurse, such as bandages or catheters, are also covered under the Medicare Home Health benefit.

• Full-time nursing care
• Medications
• Homemaker/housekeeping help
• Routine custodial care (bathing, dressing, help moving around, transportation to appointments etc.)