We provide the following health care services:

• Personal Care Assistance
• Waivered Services
• Homemaking and Extended PCA
• Home Management

Please click on the individual pages to know more.

The Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Program is one of the programs by the State of Minnesota designed to help older individuals and persons with disabilities live in a community setting rather than in a health facility or institution.

The PCA program, administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, started in 1978 when Minnesota added Personal Care Assistant to the State’s Medical Assistance program.

The PCA services are a type of home care service that provides assistance to the people in Minnesota with their non-medical health related needs and daily living activities. This program’s goal is to help people live independently in their own homes and in the community rather than going to a facility. It is available to individuals of all ages with special health care needs and are a paid benefit through the fee-for-service program, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs, or through prepaid health plans.

PCA Services provides assistance with:

• Activities of Daily Living including eating, toileting, grooming, dressing, bathing, transferring, mobility, and positioning.
• Instrumental Activities of Daily Living including meal planning and preparation, managing money, shopping for essential items, performing essential household chores, communicating by telephone and other media and getting around and participating in the community.
• Health Related Functions such as range of motion exercises, seizure intervention, or ventilator suctioning; and
• Redirection and Intervention for Behavior including observation and monitoring

To qualify for our PCA Services you must:

• Need constant supervision or hands on assistance to complete at least 1 ADL or have Level 1 Behavior
• Live in Minnesota
• Be able to make decisions about your own care or have someone who can make decisions for you; and meet with a Public Health Nurse (PHN) from your county to have a PCA Assessment
• Be eligible to receive Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare

Follow these steps so you can start with our PCA Services:

• Contact Intercommunity Home Health Care by giving us a call or by sending us an online message through our Contact Us page.
• Our staff will provide you the number to request a PCA Assessment.
• The assessment of the Public Health Nurse will determine the hours of service you are eligible to receive.
• The services will begin with the personal care attendant that you choose.

To know if you are eligible for a medical assistance, contact your county human services department. There are income and asset guidelines, but even if you have too much income, you may still qualify after paying a copayment. You can call us to know more.

Contact Intercommunity Home Health Care, so that we can gather information and determine the suitable care program for you. Our staff will provide you the phone number to request a PCA assessment.

In Minnesota you have the option of choosing your own caregivers, including your friends and family members. That way you can be sure your care is being provided by someone you already know and trust. According to the National Center on Caregiving, most care in the U.S. is provided by friends or relatives. If you would like to hire a friend or family member to be your Personal Care Assistant (PCA), we are ready to support you and help make it happen.Please visit our Employees’ page to see why Intercommunity Home Health Care is a great place to work!

At the PCA Assessment, a Public Health Nurse (PHN) will ask you questions and observe you to determine your need for PCA Services. As mentioned above, in order to qualify for services you need to be “dependent” in at least one Activity of Daily Living (ADL) or have Level 1 behavior. If you need assistance with several ADLs, you will get more help than if you need assistance with one or two ADLs. If you need assistance with critical ADLs (eating, transfers, mobility and toileting), you will get more help than if you need assistance with Non-Critical ADLs (grooming, dressing, bathing, positioning).

With Intercommunity Home Health Care, you have a number of options as to how you can pay for the services. Most of the time, PCA Services are free for people on Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare

Medical Assistance is a state health program that provides medical services for disabled individuals and elderly (65 or older) Minnesotans who have limited income and assets. There are guidelines to be eligible for Medical Assistance, but you can still qualify for it even if you have too much income

For further information, we are willing to answer your inquiries by calling us at 612-435-0461 or you can send us a message through our Contact Us form.