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Definition of Home Health Care

Home health care is defined as rendering predominantly medically-related services to patients in a home setting rather than in a medical facility. Basically, the home care practitioner will help patients increase their ability to tend to their everyday needs at home. Home health care may include skilled nursing in addition to speech, occupational and physical therapy. In many cases, it includes assistance with cooking and other household chores. It also includes monitoring the patient's prescriptions.

source:https://issuu.com/alicelukin/docs/definition_of_home_health_care

Assess the Type of Care You Need

There are generally two types of home aides: home health aides, who provide basic medical care, such as managing medication and checking blood pressure, and personal care aides, who help with household chores and personal needs.

A home health aide might be the right choice if your loved one has an illness or disability and needs medical attention. Otherwise, a personal care aide, who can help with bathing, eating, dressing, or household chores, may be your best option. Elderly people living at home, especially those who don’t drive or have family nearby, often spend a lot of time alone. A personal care aide can also serve as a companion, someone to share meals and do activities with, or someone to talk to during the day. People with dementia, who may be physically healthy but can’t be left alone, also can benefit from companion care.

source: https://www.consumerreports.org/elder-care/how-to-hire-in-home-help/

Connect with the person giving personal care

In the course of their normal duties of showering, dressing and sometimes toileting older adults, home health aides gain a physical intimacy with your vulnerable loved ones. To make this more comfortable for all involved, it is vital to get to know the often kind, caring person attached to the strong arms. Many aides in many American cities are immigrants from cultural traditions of deep respect for elders. They often have compelling stories to tell, if you ask them, of their own lives and struggles. Hearing those stories — and sharing your family’s background in turn — is usually the first step toward establishing real closeness.

source:https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/home-care/info-2018/home-health-aids-fd.html
 

Types of services



Home care services are available to individuals who require intermittent or part-time skilled nursing care and/or rehabilitation therapies. The typically services available under the designated term "home care" include nursing care, such as changing dressings, monitoring medications, providing basic daily activities like bathing, short term rehabilitation, occupational and speech therapy. Some home health providers also include non-medical homemaker services including meal preparation, shopping, transportation, and some specific household chores.

The types of services available for home care have expanded throughout the history of the United States health care system do to continuous modernization of medical technology, particularly in the 1980s. Prior to the expansion, specialty services like intravenous antibiotics, oncology therapy, hemodialysis, parenteral and enteral nutrition and ventilator care, were only available in the hospital setting. This newly available technology has proven cost effective and improves the quality of life, increasing independency and flexibility for patients.

Hospice care is a method of care that can be included in the home care realm, but is also available as in inpatient service. Hospice is a cluster of comprehensive services for the terminally ill with a medically determined life expectancy of 6 months or less.[13] Whether hospice services are performed at home or in a medical facility, the emphasis of care are the same; pain and symptom management, which is referred to as palliation.

The available home care services are provided by mix of physicians, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, physical therapists, social workers, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, dietitians, home care aides, homemaker and chore workers, companions and volunteers.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_care

Different Home Health Services

Home health services provide support for clients living in their homes. This care may be long or short term. The three main types of home health services are personal care, homemaking and health assistance. Home health care agencies typically hire care aides to provide services to clients.

Health care aides provide medical-related services such as taking blood samples to the lab and administering medications. They may also check a client's blood pressure or pulse. Health care aides usually report to a registered nurse or physical therapist. Aides are required to take note of the client's progress and submit this information on forms to the home health care agency. They must also be sure to report any changes in a client's condition.

source: http://www.wisegeek.net/what-are-the-different-home-health-services.htm

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