With the increasing trend towards outpatient care to alleviate pressure on hospitals and insurance companies, many people are taking advantage of home health care services. These kinds of services are of great benefit to those who wish to have their treatment carried out at home, or just require a little extra help managing things as they grow older or learn to live with their medical condition or disability. Home health care is usually associated with seniors, but can also be used for those recovering from surgery or other medical procedures that can limit a person’s ability to easily take care of his or her home.
Help at Home
Home care services include help with:
• Bathing, getting out of bed, using the bathroom, getting dressed
• Cleaning, yard work, laundry
• Cooking
• Remembering to take medication or getting to and from appointments
• Changing wound dressings, physiotherapy or occupational therapy
• IV therapy or injections
The Benefits of Home Health Care
“The goal of home health care is to treat an illness or injury. Home health care helps you get better, regain your independence, and become as self-sufficient as possible” (Medicare.gov).
While recuperating from surgery or learning to live with a medical condition, home health care patients can be visited and treated by a registered nurse, home health care agency staff, or skilled, specially trained care givers. This provides an alternative to many who do not want to move into an assisted living facility.
“Home healthcare services may often be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, or veteran’s benefits.” (Homecareprofile.com).
The Downside of Home Health Care
If you’re considering home health care as an alternative to an assisted living facility or just as a short-term measure until you can look after things again on your own, know that each state has its own set of laws that determine what kind of services can be performed at home and which must be carried out in a health care facility. You should also know that non-medical home care (for example, transportation, errands, housekeeping) is usually not covered by Medicare or Medicaid, so it is up to the patient to pay for the service.
Sources: Homecareprofile (http://www.homecareprofile.com/); Medicare.gov (http://www.medicare.gov/HomeHealthCompare/About/GettingCare/WhatisHomeHealthCare.aspx); MedlinePlus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/homecareservices.html); National Institute on Aging (http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/stayinghome.htm)
Reviewed May 27, 2011
Edited by Alison Stanton