Home Health care services offer personalized medical and skilled nursing care, allowing patients to receive essential treatments and support in the comfort of their own homes. This approach not only enhances the convenience and comfort for patients but also ensures that care is tailored to their specific needs and circumstances. With a focus on maintaining independence and improving quality of life, home healthcare services are designed to deliver high-quality care while keeping patients connected to their familiar surroundings and loved ones.
Overall, home health care services play a crucial role in supporting individuals of all ages in post-acute settings, optimizing functioning, and reclaiming meaningful lives following injury, illness, or disability.
Our FAQ section addresses your most common questions about home health care services, ensuring you have the information needed to make informed decisions. From understanding our services to navigating insurance, we're here to provide clear and helpful answers.
No, home health care (i.e. home health) is significantly different than home care. While the two services sound similar (both take place at a patient's home or residence), home health is administered by licensed medical professionals. Further, the type of care encompassed by home health care covers a myriad of ailments and diseases, including physical therapy, post-operative care, and treatment of Alzheimer's, dementia, and chronic health conditions.
The first step toward receiving home health care is to obtain a physician's order and work with a home health care company to develop a detailed care plan. From there, you will be asked to complete an initial consultation with the patient, during which they assess the patient's needs and develop a plan for treatment. Family members and other caregivers are encouraged to participate in this planning process to ensure consistent and comprehensive care.When services begin, home health care staff will implement the plan – following all physician orders – and keep the physician updated about the patient's progress. The frequency and type of home health visits will vary depending on the patient's needs. Some patients require daily care while others require only a short visit once or twice per week.All services are tailored to the patient's needs.
The primary function of a home health nurse is to follow the physician's plan of care, administering medically necessary services to treat, prevent, or manage the patient's condition. On each visit, the home health nurse will take the patient's vitals, track symptoms and other details of the patient's condition, and administer any necessary medications or treatments. Home health nurses may also keep a journal for each patient, recording the details of the visit to ensure continuity of care and communication between family, caregivers, and the patient's medical team.
The primary benefit of home health care for the elderly is that it can be delivered directly to the patient's residence, whether it be a private home, adult foster home, assisted living or residential care facility, memory care facility, or long-term nursing home. By delivering care directly to the patient, expensive hospital bills can be avoided. Family members are encouraged to be active participants in the planning process to help set and meet goals, working with home health care professionals for the benefit of the patient.
Additional benefits of home health care for seniors include: Faster recuperation and recovery from illness or injury and improved independence (over time).
Maintaining or improving of current condition or level of function. Regaining of self-sufficiency in the home. Slowing of the decline of serious conditions. Better symptom management.
Home health care only provides medically necessary services – skilled services prescribed or recommended by a medical doctor. It does not provide unskilled services or daily necessities such as cooking, cleaning, bathing, and transportation. These services are covered by personal home care assistance. Some home health care services offer personal home care assistance at an additional cost, which may or may not be covered by insurance or Medicare.
Patients and their families can save considerably by choosing home health care over long-term hospitalization or a skilled nursing facility. Still, medical care is expensive. When it comes to paying for home health care, there are several options:
° Medicare
° Self-pay
° Public third-party pay
° Private third-party pay
