What’s home health care?

Home care relates to medical therapy or assistive care for patients who do not need hospitalization or care, but need extra assistance in order to live securely at home. Home care may require medical professional therapy, but the biggest section of home care includes helping people with daily duties such as bathing, dressing, and eating. uch help is carried out by caregivers, or other licensed or unlicensed non-medical personnel. Most of those receiving home care in the U.S. are over 65 years old, with approximately 96 percent requiring assistance with bathing and 88 percent requiring assistance transferring in and out of bed. 

Examples of skilled home health services include:

• Wound care for sores of stress or surgery
• Patient and caregiver education
• Intravenous or nutrition therapy
• Injections
• Monitoring serious illness and unstable health status

In general, the goal of home health care is to treat an illness or injury. Home health care helps you:

• Get better
• Regain your independence
• Become as self-sufficient as possible
• Maintain your current condition or level of function
• Slow decline

If you receive your Medicare advantages through a health plan for Medicare, check with your plan to find out how it provides health advantages for your home covered Medicare.

If you have a Medicare Supplement Insurance policy (Medigap) or other health insurance coverage, inform your doctor or other health care provider so that your bills are paid correctly.

What services should I expect from my home health care?

The Medicare home health advantage includes the provision of skilled nursing care and treatment services to patients in their home. The patient must be under a physician’s care, fulfill the definition of “homebound,” and intermittently need qualified services. After an acute hospital discharge or because they require certain rehabilitation, patients receive home health care

Services include extremely skilled nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and social workers in the medical field. Home health care providers also provide personal care services to patients in need of qualified services.

The benefit of Medicaid Home Health varies by state but is usually wider than the advantage of Medicare and usually offers a mixture of highly qualified medical care and personal care facilities. States must provide health and transportation facilities for care at home.

States may provide associated services, including: pediatric care ; physical, occupational and speech therapy ; private duty nursing ; personal care ; and case management, depending on the state in question.