Alabama Agency Offers Important Information for Senior Citizens During National Consumer Protection Week

HOME OPTIONS, INC. JOINS NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO SPONSOR NINTH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION WEEK

Home Options Provides Information to Help Protect Seniors and Other Consumers of Home Care

(Birmingham, AL – January 19, 2006) – Birmingham company, Home Options, Inc., has joined a group of federal, state, and local government agencies and national consumer advocacy organizations to launch the ninth annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), February 4-10, 2007. NCPW highlights consumer education efforts in the fight against fraud in communities across the nation. This year, NCPW’s national organizers encourage everyone to read up and reach out to be an informed consumer. By gathering and sharing information, consumers – and their friends and families – can be more confident, savvy, and safe in the marketplace.

"Home Options is proud to be a part of this year’s National Consumer Protection Week campaign, along with our local consumer community," said Christy Socol, Home Options founder and president. "We are passionate about educating consumers, particularly seniors, about how to protect themselves from pitfalls in home care and National Consumer Protection Week is an excellent time to educate seniors and their family members about how to make informed choices when hiring in-home caregivers.”

As America’s aging population rises, the number of people turning to home care as an alternative to nursing homes is steadily on the rise. Unfortunately, because the home care industry remains unregulated in most states including Alabama, the quality of care between providers can vary greatly. This leaves consumers of home care victim to fraud, abuse or financial pitfalls. With a little knowledge about the differences in models of home care and what that means for the client, consumers can rest assured that they are choosing safe, reliable and trustworthy caregivers.

When consumers decide to hire an independent provider, even if from a referral service or a registry, they become the legal employer of the caregiver and are responsible for the following:

Payroll Taxes (Social Security, Medicare, Federal & State Unemployment, & Federal and State payroll taxes) When the individual or family is the employer and none of these taxes are being paid, then the government may assign the individual, family or estate for back taxes and penalties.
Worker Related Injuries. Many individuals incorrectly assume that their homeowners insurance will cover this type of loss, when in fact, homeowner insurance usually specifically excludes employees in the home.

Abuse & Exploitation Whether you hire an individual or go through an agency make sure that not only have references been checked but also a criminal background check has been conducted on the worker. Also find out if the worker or agency carries theft bond coverage.

Supervision and Training of the Worker. Providing supervision is often as important for the family as it is for the worker. Supervision is not only important for the training of the worker to meet the client's expectations but to conduct quality checks to make sure that the agreed upon care plan still works or needs modification.

About Home Options, Inc.
Home Options, Inc. is a leading provider of private home care services in the greater Birmingham area. Founded in 1998, Home Options is locally owned and operated and offers a wide range of non-medical services to help maintain client independence. Home Options strives to offer the highest quality of care available and employs compassionate and qualified caregivers. For more information call (205) 640-5335 or visit www.personalcareoptions.com

For more information about National Consumer Protection Week, visit http://www.consumer.gov/ncpw.


Tirza Wibel
BrandBloom
Direct: 503.873.6413
Cell: 503.851.7937
Email: twibel@brandbloom.com