You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2527 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 What You Need To Know About Home Care (NAPSA)—Sooner or later, someone you know may become one of the millions of Americans who rely on home care to stay out of a hospital, nursing home or some other institution. Learning more about what’s involved can help you get the best care possible. Here are some frequently asked questions with answers provided by the experts at Interim HealthCare. Q: What is home care? A: There are two categories. Home health care typically describes skilled nursing and therapy services while home care describes nonmedical services that address functional needs of everyday living, such as meals and grooming. In both cases, home care can reduce the anxiety associated with most forms of institutional health care and result in significant savings. There’s also evidence that patients frequently heal more quickly at home. Q: Who provides home care? A: There are basically two types of people who provide home care. There are informal caregivers such as family and friends. There are also paid caregivers, some of whom are licensed professionals such as nurses and therapists, and others who are nonmedical personnel such as aides, homemakers and companions. Q: How can I access home care services? A: To access home care services, patients or family members can contact home health agencies. Physicians, case managers and social workers may also make recommendations. When a hospital discharges a patient, it may provide a list of both hospital-sponsored and private home care agencies. “Home care” is a broad term that describes a variety of health and health-related services provided in a home setting. Q: Who pays for home care services? A: Many home care services are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, worker’s compensation, private or group health insurance, HMOs, veteran and military grants or through other special funds such as block grants. Also, private payment may be arranged on an individual basis. Q: How should I select a home care provider? A: To make an informed selection, ask how long the provider has been serving the community. Find out if the provider selects and trains employees and if they are background checked and insured. Does the provider include the patient and his or her family members in developing the plan of care? Are they involved in making care plan changes? For more information, visit www.interimhealthcare.com. To find an office near you, call 800944-8888. Top Tips For Improving The Value Of Your Home (NAPSA)—In tough economic times, it seems one of the best investments homeowners can make is in their house. From renovating kitchens and baths to upgrading windows and doors, realtors say the right projects could help boost the value of a home. Even simple steps, like adding landscaping, can help improve a house’s curb appeal— and a potential buyer ’s first impression. But whether you’re looking to sell or not, the smart money may be on floors. Money invested to upgrade replacement floor coverings in a home prior to its being resold can be expected to return “substantially more than 100 percent” of the cost of renovation, according to the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA). In fact, Christopher Davis, the group’s president and CEO, says if homeowners invested $5,000 to replace worn-out floor coverings and then listed their home for sale, “they should factor in an extra $10,000 to $15,000 on the selling price.” Buying, Selling, Refinancing Davis adds that the value of new floors can be seen whether you’re buying a new home, selling, or improving the house you already have. Indeed, when financed into a mortgage, upgrading floors can be quite affordable. For every $1,000 spent on floor covering and financed into the mortgage, the buyer ’s payment usually increases about $10 a month, Photo courtesy of Armstrong Upgrading floors in a home can be an affordable way to boost its value and improve its look. according to Davis. In addition, new floors can often be written off during the first few years of the mortgage. “Adding $2,500 of upgraded floor coverings to the purchase price of a house would increase the mortgage payments about $23 a month, or $276 annually,” he explains. Mortgage payments (especially during the first few years) are generally on the mortgage’s interest and are tax deductible. “That means the $276, instead of counting towards the principal, can be considered interest paid, thus creating tax savings for homeowners who itemize deductions,” says Davis. Home Improvements In addition to being economical, upgrading floors can be easy. It’s a good idea to start by doing some basic research and to get a list of expert and reliable flooring retailers in the area from a site such as www.wfca.org. A retailer can give tips on choosing the right floor for each room in the house and advise on the quality of different flooring types, including hardwood, tile, laminate, resilient and carpet. He or she can also explain the various brands that are available and help you choose a professional installer who can install floors. Where To Invest The first two areas of a home buyers often look at are the kitchen and bathroom, so new resilient floors in the rooms can be an economical way to make a powerful first impression. Kitchens can be patterned with inexpensive floor tiles for a customized effect. Similarly, adding rows of accent tiles in the bathroom can make it appear more finely detailed and expensive than it actually is. New floors can also help enhance other rooms, such as bedrooms and master suites. For example, the right floor covering can add an element of sophistication and class that makes each room feel welcoming, familiar and more like home. For more information, tips and ideas, visit www.wfca.org. You can also check out a new magazine from the WFCA, Meredith, and Better Homes and Gardens called Beautiful Flooring. It provides action-oriented information as well as the latest ideas in home flooring.
