Home Health Services – More Than You Realize

Most people think of home health services as having a nurse or nurse's aid come by weekly or even daily to monitor medications, take vital signs, etc. But there is a lot more to home health services than meets the eye. Depending on the home health service provider you choose there is much more than in-home nursing available. Home health care can meet a large variety of healthcare needs for patients, including those listed below.

Physician Care

Believe it or not, the rise in home health services has led to the rebirth of physician house calls. In some cases, this involves direct visits from physicians. In other instances, physicians may review your home health care needs to prescribe additional services and care.

Physical, Occupation, and Speech Therapy

For some patients, the ordeal of leaving the home to receive this critical care and therapy makes it difficult for them to get the care they require. In-home visits by a home health services team that offers these services is not just convenient. In some cases, it makes treatment possible.

Medical Social Services

Many patients receiving home health services aren't aware of the resources available to assist them. This may include transportation services, social services, counseling, financial assistance, and other community resources to aid with utility bills, meal deliveries, and countless other essential services. With many patients receiving home health care, there are many services available to them that medical social services can coordinate.

Home Health Aides

Perhaps the most "hands-on" of all home health services, home care aides offer essential services to manage the basic care needs of patients. This includes help with the following:

• Getting into and out of bed.
• Walking.
• Bathing.
• Dressing.

In some cases, home health aides have received training to help with tasks such as recording vital signs and administering specialized care under a nurse's supervision.

Basic Care Assistance

While other home health services see to the medical needs of patients, basic care providers help with the day-to-day living of patients so they can maintain certain standards of cleanliness and quality of life. These are some of the services these providers offer.

• Personal grooming.
• Household chores.
• Meal preparation.
• Shopping.
• Laundry.

There are, of course, other services to assist those who require home health care and in-home nursing. These are some of the most common and widely available home health services that support in-home nursing services.