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What is Home Health? Imagine Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists, etc., providing medical services to you or your loved ones in the comfort of your own home. That is Home Health. This type of service can help you with rehabilitation after medical events like stroke or surgery. It can also help you regain your independence to manage a chronic condition such as diabetes, heart disease or arthritis. Here are some of the ways home health can benefit you and your loved one.

Home health is a bridge between your doctor and home. When you choose home health, your team – which can include therapists, nurses and social workers – works with your doctor to create a plan of care designed specifically with your goas and abilities in mind. This care coordination is essential to your progress toward recovery.  Think of the home health team as the eyes and ears of the doctor when he or she can’t be there.  

The care is performed in your home. Not only does this allow you to be comfortable and at ease in a familiar environment, it also allows your therapists and care team to see specific challenges you may face in your surroundings on a daily basis. This means therapists can work on specific skills, or create workarounds for challenges, if necessary. In fact, one of the first things a home health agency will do when you begin treatment is to assess your home to determine your needs and goals.

Care at home can reduce unnecessary hospital visits. The goal of home health is to help you manage your symptoms and recover strength, and your caregivers do this through continued education with you and your loved ones.  This can reduce the likelihood of an exacerbation of your illness or re-injury, which might lead to a hospital stay. Home health focuses on keeping you as independent and safe as possible – and out of the hospital. The focus is on reducing medication errors, assisting you in regaining strength to lessen the risk of further injuries and helping with balance to decrease your risk of falling.

Home health is different from personal home care assistance. Home health is provided by skilled clinicians and therapists and must be coordinated by a doctor. The focus is on managing your injury or illness and has a large therapy component to it. Personal home care assistance is a service that does not have a clinical aspect to it and is designed to assist in everyday tasks you may have trouble completing on your own, such as laundry, meal preparation or light cleaning.

Peace of mind for family members and loved ones: Family members often serve as the primary caregivers to their ill or elderly loved ones. Home health care provides needed assistance to family caregivers, allowing them to get back to their lives and enjoy more quality time with their homebound loved ones. Furthermore, with Home health, families that are unable to serve as primary caregivers have the benefit of knowing that their loved ones are receiving professional, compassionate, and personalized care in the convenience of their own homes.

The Challenge

For the typical family, deciding to employ external hands to help with caring for a loved one can sometimes be emotionally challenging. Home health care however, doesn’t mean the family doesn’t care enough, or that the loved one is incapacitated. It means you want the best care, and time to focus on what’s equally important rather than struggling through daily tasks.

Home Health

Home health care lets many patients stay in the privacy and comfort of their own homes while receiving professional caregiver treatment and monitoring. Home health care can be a temporary solution for patients recovering from surgery, going through rehab or regaining independence after an accident or stroke. Or it can be long-term and ongoing for patients with chronic conditions, serious illness or lifelong disabilities.

Sometimes it takes a professional caregiver to provide a higher level of medical care or provide round-the-clock care. Patients and families benefit from professional assistance and the opportunity for respite.

Who needs home health care?

• Adult patients with chronic diseases and disabilities, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, heart failure or diabetes, who need ongoing monitoring but want to maintain their independence.
• Patients who need assistance and care as they recover from surgery, accidents or injuries.
• People who need help with household tasks, dietetic services and food planning.
• People who need transportation to appointments and other activities.
• Seniors who need assistance with medical issues but want to stay in their homes.
• A patient who has needs such as IV medication, injections, managing multiple medications, daily wound care or ongoing monitoring of a serious illness.
• Patients with physical or mental disabilities who require 24-hour monitoring and supportive care.
• Family members who want to keep their loved ones at home but need reliable and professional long or short-term respite.

Even with a checklist, it can be hard to see – or admit – that it is time to bring in professional health.

Blue Torch Home Care is a leading Home Healthcare provider in Nigeria. We can come into the home, meet your loved one and assess the care and support they need to stay safely and comfortably in the home they love. We’ll help you set up a plan of care and a schedule that works for the family and the loved one, and even manage transportation to the hospital during emergencies.