HOME HEALTH CARE: KEY THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW.

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.