People searching for what services are provided by home health care are likely interested in either senior care services for themselves or their older loved one. The goal of home health care is for seniors to remain at home, instead of moving into an assisted living facility or nursing home. In this article, you will learn about home health care and the services offered.
Home Health Care Services
Home health care services provide medical care inside of patient’s homes. The medical care may be from:
- Physicians
- Registered Nurses
- Practical Nurses
- Social Workers
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Therapists
- Speech Therapists
Another term that falls under home health care is skilled care. “Skilled” care implies the services are from people with skill. They are health care professionals with degrees, licenses, certificates, etc.
The services provided are:
- Occupational Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Skilled Nursing
- Wound Care
- Pain Management
Skilled nursing care is not reserved for patients who wish to stay in their home. Skilled nursing facilities are available for those who would like that care outside of the home.
Home health agencies have a team of health care providers. They work with patients in their own homes and then coordinate the services they need, depending on what their doctor’s order.
Home health care agencies manage all of the care that patients receive and can help with providing medical equipment. This can make recovery outside of the hospital convenient. It also lowers the rate of re-hospitalization.
Other Types of Home Care Services
Many people confuse home health care services with the services home health aides provide. Home health aides (HHAs) are also known as caregivers and provide custodial care. Caregivers tend to focus more on non-medical services that improve the quality of life for seniors in their home. For instance, a home care plan from home health aides may include:
- Personal Care Services
This includes toileting, bathing, dressing, and grooming.
- Meal Preparation
Nutrition is especially important during The Golden Years, but since seniors have difficulty with cooking safely, meal preparation can be extremely helpful to them.
- Activities of Daily Living
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are tasks people need to do to live safely and comfortably. This could include cleaning, laundering, running errands, and other homemaker tasks.
The above services are often part of a long-term care to keep seniors from having to leave their home as they grow older. Unfortunately, this level of care is not covered by Medicare or most health insurance companies.
Medicaid does cover personal care services, but eligibility differs from state to state. Check with your department of health services for information on coverage.
In both cases (skilled nursing care and home health care), background checks are performed on all care providers.
Medicare Coverage for Home Health Care Services
Do you want to know who qualifies for home health care services? Eligibility for Medicare coverage for home health care services depends on many factors.
Medicare.gov reports the program will only pay for home health care services on a short-term basis. The care provided should only be to rehabilitate someone who is recovering from an illness or injury.
Patients need to be certified as homebound by their doctor. Doctors declare someone homebound if he/she must put forth a taxing effort to leave the home or there are serious health risks going out in public. Homebound individuals can go to doctor’s appointments, attend religious services or special family gatherings.
Those who receive skilled nursing care must have special needs because of a medical condition they are being treated for by their doctor. People who have a chronic health condition like COPD may only receive coverage for skilled nursing care if their condition worsened. The home health care services are only covered until the condition improves and the patient is stabilized or 100 days (whichever comes first).
Contact All Medicare Advisory for Information Medicare and Home Health Care Services
Family members of seniors or those who are 65+ years old can contact us for advising. The Medicare program when it comes to home health care is difficult to understand. Not only can we help you know if Medicare will cover home health care services for you, we can help you find Medicare-certified home health care agencies near you. This is a FREE service for you. Click here to contact us.
This article was writen by Marcelina Hardy and was last updated on .
My name is Marcelina (Marcie) Hardy, and I’m a senior care advisor offering Medicare-approved home health care, nursing home, hospice, and long term hospital care options.