Home health care and home care represent services that promote health, provide assistants with essential daily living, or offer medical advice. These services are usually provided by professional health care personnel. The skills and responsibilities of home care personnel vary, but all have one thing in common – making it possible for care recipients to remain safe at home, in an environment that provides them with independence, familiarity, and comfort. Home care recipients include the disabled, mentally disabled, ill, and elderly. Home health care providers include:

Homemakers – provide personal services such as toileting, dressing, and bathing.

Companions – provide essential skills such as making meals, light cleaning, transportation, as well as mental stimulation.

Registered Nurses – provide skilled medical care, including monitoring vital signs, dressing wounds, and teaching family caregivers how to use complicated equipment.

Caregivers – can be professional aids or family members who provide much of the same services as homemakers and companions.

Therapists – provide rehabilitation care to restore or maintain speech, motor, and cognitive skills.

 

Home Health Care Guidance

When considering whether home care is right for you or your loved one, there are several things you need to consider and know before making your choice.

-          Are there any objections to home health care? There are many care recipients who object to the idea of home care. If you encounter opposition try to understand what issues may be the cause of the refusal. It is important for all involved to understand and be comfortable with the idea of letting someone else take on the tasks you’ve been doing yourself.

-          Define your needs. What will be the home care provider’s tasks? Answering this question will tell you what type of home health care personnel you need.

-          Find out what monetary assistance you may qualify for. When all parties agree and you understand the type of care needed, the next question is how much will the care cost and if the cost is covered by insurance and/or government programs. Review your insurance benefits and look into state funded programs. The sad truth is that most home care costs will have to be paid by you so make sure you can afford the services.