What Is Home Care?
Individuals who are not familiar with long term care services may be surprised to find that aging at home is an option. With advances in technology, it is becoming a very common and possible choice for individuals who would prefer to age in place. In fact, surveys show that over 80 percent of seniors would like to age in the comforts of their home. Additional research supports that home care services actually improves ones quality of life, especially among patients with Dementia. In this article, we’ll explore what home care is and how it’s benefiting millions of seniors across the world.
Understanding Home Care
Home care is a professional support and medical care service that is provided in an individuals home. This type of service can also be provided in an assisted living facility or rehabilitation setting for those who need more care than their location provides. The type of care given depends on the unique needs of the individual, as some may just require companionship and others may need a dedicated nursing team.
What Services Does Home Care Include?
Home care offers a variety of services to meet the unique needs of clients. Services may include the following:
- Companion care: assistance with laundry, exercising, recreational activities, grocery shopping, and more.
- Hands-on care: dressing and grooming, meal preparation, bathing, toileting, activities of daily living tasks, and more.
- Skilled nursing care: pain management, medication administration, palliative care, wound care, and more.
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s care: cognitive exercises, memory care, social activities, and more.
If you’re looking for more information, Caring People’s ‘Home Care 101’ article does a great job breaking down the various services offered from home care.
Types of Home Care
It’s important to note that not all home care agencies offer each of the services listed above. In general, home care usually falls under three categories:
- Companionship/Personal Care
- Private Duty Nursing Care
- Home Health Care
Companionship care is mainly used to help people remain independent and safe within their home. Private duty nursing care is for those who require round-the-clock care for chronic illness or injury. Home health care is typically short-term, physician ordered care to help prevent or heal clients from injury or a preventable hospital stay. The latter can only be completed by a home care agency that is Medicare certified.
Paying For Home Care
As previously mentioned, physician home health care services can only be provided at Medicare certified home health agencies, which means Medicare will pay for the service. Payment is dependent upon meeting certain eligibility criteria and it must be physician ordered. However, in most instances, home care is typically paid directly by the person receiving care. Medicaid and long-term care insurance are also payment options.
Home Care Is A Great Choice
Overall, home care is a wonderful choice for those who want to age in place. No matter which type of home care service is selected, the overall goal is to make clients happier, more independent, and give families the peace of mind that they deserve.