The definition of home health care is medical services provided at home to treat a chronic health condition or to help you recover from illness, injury, or surgery. Some people start receiving home health care after a deterioration in their health or after being diagnosed with a serious medical condition. Many people make the transition to home health care after a stay in a hospital, rehabilitation center, or skilled nursing facility. The primary goals are to help people recover and remain as independent as possible.
Home health care consists of specialized and medically necessary services prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of an illness, injury, or medical condition.
Home care is not medical
and does not require a doctor's referral. It helps people who need help to maintain their independence and their daily routines at home. Non-medical care personnel do not care for wounds or dispense prescription drugs.However, they can provide medication reminders and inform families about general well-being. Home care provides clinical care to help the patient recover, and home care helps with care and day-to-day tasks. It's important for home care aides and staff to keep accurate records of the services they provide and the tasks they perform. There are several ways to seek home health care, but the first step is to ask your doctor to evaluate your condition and make a home health plan.
When prescribed by a doctor, home health care visits are generally covered by Medicare, veterans benefits, and some private or long-term care insurance policies. Home health care is available to any patient who needs it, but for Medicare to cover it, the patient must be considered homebound. Home health nurses must be trained medical professionals, licensed to practice in their state and equipped to follow a doctor's plan of care. There is a high demand for home health care and personal care workers, and there are many opportunities to employment.
Most home health care aides have a high school diploma before entering the field, but this may not be a requirement everywhere. Your particular home care needs should ultimately guide your decision between home health care and complementary care. The roles of a home health assistant and a personal care assistant sometimes overlap, but the key difference is that home health aides often work for agencies rather than being directly employed by their clients. However, an important difference is that personal care aides cannot perform any medical-related service or task as a home health assistant would.
The definition of home care is also different from that of hospice, which alleviates pain and symptoms in the last few months of life. Home health care aides play an important role in the continuity of care, as they coordinate between caregivers and medical professionals and track the status and progress of their clients. Home health professionals keep a record of each visit and provide the doctor with updates on the patient's condition, as needed. While Medicare usually pays the full cost of most covered home health care services, it doesn't cover day care 24 hours a day.
