Home health care services are a great resource for those who need temporary, or even permanent, assistance. For some, they offer the chance to remain in their own home longer and maintain a sense of independence.
What Is Home Health Care?
Home health care occurs when a nurse or caregiver comes into your home to provide you with the services you may be unable to complete yourself. They also provide health care services in your home if you can't easily leave your home to visit a clinic.
Who Can Receive Home Health Care?
In-home health care is provided to those who are unable to adequately take care of themselves.
The following people are the most common to receive home care services:
- Elderly
- Disabled
- Injured
Home health care can be a temporary arrangement for people who have been injured in the accident and/or are temporarily bedridden.
What Home Health Care Services Are Offered?
There are many different service options available for home health care.
Those services can include:
- Meal prep
- Bathing assistance
- Toileting assistance
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Grocery shopping
- Cleaning
- Medication management
- Wound care
The list goes on! If you're struggling with something in particular and you're not sure if it's offered, reach out to a home health care agency to see what services are available in your area.
How Do You Go About Starting Home Health Care Services?
The most common way to receive home care services is through a home health care agency. For services to begin, you will have to reach out to an agency to see if they provide what you're looking for. Once you find an agency that has openings, you can inquire about becoming one of their clients.
If you're looking to have your insurance cover your services, your insurance company will have to send documents to the agency authorizing the services you're requesting. Depending on the service, the agency may also need to receive orders from your doctor stating you need these services. If you do not have insurance, you can still get services, but you will have to cover the cost out of pocket. This would be considered private pay. If you're going that route, you can avoid the hassle of dealing with doctors and insurance companies and skip right to the services.
Once everything is in order for services to begin, the agency will schedule an intake and/or meet and greet visit with you. A meet and greet visit will allow you to meet your nurse or caregiver. This can be important because you need to be comfortable with the person you are allowing to come into your home. The intake is the very first visit where the agency may need to perform an evaluation to determine your actual health care needs.
If you do not want to go through a home health care agency, you may be able to find some private nurses or caregivers to hire.
Share