Home Health Care
What Is Home Health Care?
Home Health Care may be confused with Home Care due to its similar wording, yet they provide distinctly different senior living and assisted living services.
Home Health care provides professional medical assistance whilst Home Care provides non-clinical help such as meal prep and companionship.
Registered and licensed practical nurses, occupational therapists, and physical therapists can all provide home health care, often through home health/hospice agencies and skilled nursing homes.
A doctor's prescription is needed as part of a senior health care regimen following hospitalization or injury. It can include the following:
Physical and occupational therapy
Administration of prescription medications or shots
Medical tests
Monitoring of health status
Wound care
Home health care focuses on adults who require assistance with recent injuries, are prone to falls, or have been diagnosed with a chronic condition, like diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Recently discharged from rehabilitation, hospital stay, or skilled nursing facility
In need of monitoring after a recent medication change
Trouble going safely to and from the doctor's office
Experiencing an overall decline in the function who can benefit from occupational/physical therapy
Senior Living Options include:
Nursing Home
Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)
Retirement Communities
Assisted Living
Home Health Care Services:
The range of home health care services a patient can receive at home is limitless. Depending on the individual patient's situation, care can range from nursing care to specialized medical services, such as laboratory workups. Care plans and services at home may include:
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Doctor care
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Nursing care
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Physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy
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Medical social services
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Care from home health aids
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Homemaker or basic assistance care
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Companionship
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Volunteer care
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Nutritional support
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Laboratory and X-ray imaging
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Pharmaceutical services
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Transportation
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Home-delivered meals
Examples of Home Health Care:
Home Health Care requires doctors' prescription to perform specific tests for the individual while monitoring changes, services offered include:
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Bathroom needs
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Formal Health Monitoring
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Injections
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Major Wound Care
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Medical Tests
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Medication Administration
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Medication Reminders
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Pain Management
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Rehabilitation Therapy
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Skilled Nursing
How is it Paid:
Home health care generally falls under the umbrella of medical services. When specific qualifications are met (generally, when a physician and a clinical assessment order services deems them necessary), Home Health services are typically paid by:
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Medicare
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Private Insurance Plans
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Medicaid for income-qualified seniors depending on the state
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Private Pay
How is care provided:
Home Health care needs to be prescribed by a doctor. Care is provided through visits from specialized professionals lasting up to an hour, on a short-term basis until individual goals are met.