What is Home Health Care?

Home health care is a skilled care service that can be provided at a patient’s residence, a residential or memory care facility, or an assisted living or long-term nursing facility. As of 2018, there were 11,500 home health care agencies in the United States.

Oftentimes, home health care includes a variety of healthcare services, including:

Skilled nursing care

Infusion therapy

Therapy (physical, occupational, speech-language)

Nutrition services

Pain management

Psychiatric services

Medical social services

Medication management

Most people who provide home health care services are licensed-medical professionals such as nurses, therapists, and aides. While the goals of home health care vary from patient to patient, common service purposes are the treating or managing of an illness, medical condition, or injury.

Benefits of Home Health Care?

The primary benefit of Home Health Care services is that elderly patients can receive high-quality health care delivered directly at their residence. This service saves patients money, because it avoids hefty hospital or clinic bills.

Additional benefits of home health care include:

Faster recovery from injury or illness

Regaining self-sufficiency in the home

Better symptom management

Home health care staff follow physician-prescribed plans

Improved independence for elderly patient

For older patients, home health care can benefit both chronic and acute conditions, including:

Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Heart Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease

Diabetes

Recovery from surgery or illness

Chronic injuries or conditions

Who Qualifies for Home Health Care?

There are a variety of qualifications or eligibility requirements for older adults who are interested in home health care. Generally, most eligible people must be age 65 years or older. In addition, if an older patient gets Medicare benefits through a Medicare health plan, that plan may help the patient qualify for Medicare-covered home health benefits.

In addition to your age, home health care may be ordered by a doctor if they think you need any of the intermittent health care services outlined in the first section above. Some signs that a doctor might order this for a person includes if there’s a new diagnosis or worsening of an existing condition, or a new or change in medication.

Another qualifying factor for home health care is if a person is considered “homebound” or confined to their home. This essentially means it is very difficult for the patient to leave home and/or they need help to do so. A couple of ways to determine if someone should be homebound is if their doctor believes their illness could get worse if they leave their home, or if they need the help of a supportive device or person to get out of the house.

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Related Resources:

When is It time for assisted living?

How to find senior apartments near you

How much does Medicare pay for assisted living?