What is Home Health Care?

Home health care services are initiated when someone is no longer able to care for him or herself due to failing health or recent changes to their health.

Often, the term home care is used to distinguish non-medical care or custodial care, which is care that is provided by persons who are not nurses, doctors, or other licensed medical personnel, whereas the term home health care, refers to care that is provided by licensed personnel.

Home care and home health care services may include:

Professional Nursing Care Services

• In-Home Assessment
• Medication and Pain Management
• Diabetic Care
• Oxygen Therapy
• Ostomy Care
• Orthopedic Care
• Rehabilitative Care
• Emergency Management

Personal Care Services

• Bathing and Dressing
• Feeding
• Mobility, Transferring and Positioning
• Toileting and Incontinence Care

In-Home Companionship and Care Services

• Respite or Relief for Family
• Grocery Shopping and Meal Preparation
• Medication Reminders
• Light Housekeeping, Laundry and Linen Washing
• Errand Services and Incidental Transportation
• Recreational Activities and Crafts
• Grooming and Dressing Guidance
• Mail Assistance and Organization
• Conversation and Companionship
• 24-Hour or Live-In Care

Who Provides Home Health Care?

Home health care services can be provided by a variety of trained individuals. Providers may be for-profit, non-profit, or hospital based.

Home care agencies provide homemaker services, which include household and personal care duties. These agencies may or may not be licensed, depending on the state they operate in.

Home health care agencies provide care services through teams of doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, homemakers, and others. These agencies are regulated by state and federal laws and often are Medicare- and Medicaid-certified. This means they can get paid by these programs for providing home health services.

Examples of home care and home health care providers include:

• Companions—Provide comfort and companionship to individuals who, for medical and/or safety reasons may not be left at home alone. They may also assist with household tasks.
• Family Caregivers—Provide emotional, physical, and spiritual comfort to loved ones.
• Home Health Aides—Assist patients with activities of daily living such as getting in and out of bed, walking, bathing, toileting, and dressing.
• Homemakers/Chore Workers—Perform light household duties such as laundry, meal preparation, general housekeeping, and shopping.
• Medical Social Workers—Evaulate the social and emotional factors affecting ill and disabled individuals; provide counseling; assist patients and their family members identify available community resources; serve as case managers; and coordinate a variety of services.
• Occupational Therapists—Help individuals who have physical, developmental, social, or emotional problems. They also instruct patients on using rehabilitation techniques and equipment to improve function in basic household tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing.
• Physical Therapists—Work to restore the mobility and strength of patients who are limited or disabled by physical injuries through the use of exercise, massage and other techniques; help to alleviate pain and restore injured muscles with specialized equipment; teach patients and caregivers special techniques for walking and transfer. Walkers, wheelchairs, and other medical equipment may be provided.
• Registered Nurses/Licensed Practical Nurses—Provide skilled nursing services, such as injections and intravenous therapy, wound care, education on disease treatment and prevention, and patient assessments. RN's may also provide case management services.
• Respiratory Therapists—Provide oxygen therapy to those in need.
• Physicians—Work with home care providers to determine services that are needed by patients, which specialists are most suitable to provide these services, and the frequency of services to be provided. They also prescribe and oversee patient plans of care.
• Speech Language Pathologists—Work to develop and restore the speech of individuals with communication disorders, usually as a result of surgery or stroke. They also retrain patients in breathing, swallowing, and muscles control.
• Volunteers—Assist with a variety of patient needs. Depending on their level of training and experience, volunteers may provide companionship, emotional support, counseling and helping with personal care, paperwork, and transportation. Volunteers may provide respite care for family caregivers.

How is Home Health Care Paid For?

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