What is Home Care? Everything You Need to Know

If you have an aging loved one starting to need more medical services or other supportive care, you may have heard their doctor’s office or other medical professionals talking about home health care services; these services can be covered by Medicare Advantage plans, private insurance plans, or paid out of pocket, and can provide your loved one with the care they need in the comfort of home.

What Is home health care? Everything You Need to Know

There are many different senior care options available, and home health care is just one of them. What is home health care? Home health provides intermittent nursing services and therapies to patients in their homes or in a long-term care environment, such as assisted living or memory care. 

If a doctor believes that your loved one can benefit from home health, they can write an order for this service to help them continue to recover and regain strength in an effort to prevent hospital readmission.

If you have this kind of service for your loved one, a home health aide and other licensed medical professionals will come to the home on a schedule and provide the ongoing care your loved one needs most. 

Home health care agencies provide personal care, durable medical equipment, and information to help family members, which can be extremely beneficial when you have a senior loved one who needs a little extra help.

Are home health care services right for your aging family member? How can you find the best options when looking for home health care professionals or skilled nursing care? The right caregiver education is extremely important, as it helps you protect your loved one. Here’s what to consider.

What Home Health Services Include

Before you choose home health visits, it’s important to understand what the home health agency you’re working with can and cannot offer. The goal is to get your loved one the best medical care; the right way to do that depends on their condition and other factors. In general, therapy services provided by home health agencies include physical, occupational, and speech therapy, along with IV infusion. 

Nursing services include setting up medications following a hospital or rehabilitation stay and wound care. Therapists, RNs (registered nurses), LPNs (licensed practical nurses), CNAs (certified nursing assistants), home health aides, and medical social workers will visit your loved one for a specific number of days per week and for a limited duration of time as directed by their medical insurance plan.

The skilled professionals working in home health can also offer disease management programs for conditions such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke/traumatic brain injury (TBI), high blood pressure (hypertension), and neuropathy, along with others.

Understanding the level of personal care and medical care your senior loved one will be getting is very important when you’re looking for a home health care agency, so you want to be sure you’re choosing the right one. When you have help choosing a quality care agency, you and your loved one can enjoy more peace of mind.

Common Uses of Home Health Services

The most common use of home health is for continued rehabilitation. This service almost always follows an episode at the hospital or a stay at an acute rehabilitation hospital or skilled nursing facility. However, you can also work with a home health agency to provide your loved one with care that goes beyond more acute experiences.

For those with chronic health conditions, being in and out of the hospital can become a common occurrence. Naturally, you want to help your loved one stay out of the hospital and manage their disease or condition more comfortably. With the proper companion care and support, it’s easier to keep your senior loved one at home where they want to be. Supportive care can often reduce the frequency of hospital admissions.

Benefits of Home Health Services

One of the most significant benefits of home health services is your loved one’s ability to stay in their home. If they’ve lived there a long time and it’s where they feel comfortable, moving somewhere else can be traumatic and frightening for them. In some cases, it has to be done, but there are many older adults who are aging in their homes with a little extra personal care and some skilled services.

Another benefit of health care is pain management since adjusting and administering medication has to be done by licensed nurses in some cases. You want your loved one to feel as well as possible, especially if they’re in occupational therapy or working with physical therapists who can require them to push through some discomfort.

Also, daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation in the patient’s home can be much easier to handle when professionals are working with them. Your loved one may be able to get around their own home and still care for themselves to a certain extent, but having skilled services available helps keep them protected while they work on more mobility and other issues.

Peace of mind is among the most significant benefits you and your loved one can expect from home health care. They’ll know they have someone there if they require assistance, and you’ll know they’re being watched and protected when you’re not there.

Downsides and Risks of Health Care in the Home

There are few risks with custodial care or home health care options for older adults. It’s important to be aware of who’s coming into their home. That’s why you want to work with a home health care agency you can trust and one that’s been vetted for you.

You’ll know they understand your loved one’s medical condition and can provide the right services for improved quality of life and ongoing care. It’s extremely important not to hire someone when you don’t know their qualifications or who they’re affiliated with because you don’t want to put your loved one at risk of financial, physical, or other types of abuse or neglect.

Paying for Home Health Care

Home health can be a valuable medical benefit depending on the medical insurance coverage (Medicare, Medicare Replacement Plan, Veterans Administration, private insurance, and some Medicaid-funded plans). Older adults needing this kind of care must meet eligibility requirements for the insurance they have and want to use.

If your loved one is not eligible for home health under their medical insurance plan, it is also possible to pay privately for this service with a limited number of agencies. You’ll want to talk with the agencies you’re considering about this arrangement to ensure they can provide you with the services your senior family member needs through a self-pay option.

Alternatives to Home Health Care

There are alternatives to home health care services, such as assisted living and nursing homes. Having your loved one stay in a rehab facility after an accident, injury, or serious illness is also an option in some cases. However, most older adults prefer to be in their own homes, and giving them that option can help them heal physically and improve their mental state at the same time.

Final Thoughts on Home Health

Home health can be an important part of a care plan to safely transition back home or to assisted living. However, if your loved one requires 24/7 care & supervision at home, it’s crucial to consider caregiving coverage during the hours/days when your home health team is absent. 

CarePatrol is here to help. We can work with you to determine the best senior care solution for you and your family at no cost to you.

Contact a local senior care advisor at CarePatrol today to get started with a senior care plan and find the help and support you need!