Home Health Care: Providing Peace of Mind for the Elderly

As we age, it becomes more and more difficult to manage our health and everyday living needs. Although there are nursing facilities available for when we can no longer manage, the thought of leaving the comfort of our own home and neighborhood friends can be scary and upsetting. More and more people are opting to age in place, and home healthcare services are making that choice possible.

Home Healthcare Basics

In-home care encompasses a broad range of services, from home doctor visits to skilled nursing to simple living assistance. Your physician will consult with you to determine what type of care is appropriate for your health and living situation. He or she will set up a schedule of care depending on your health condition and whether you live alone. Some people may require 24-hour live-in health care, while others may need someone to check in and provide health checkups or administer treatment only once or twice a week. A skilled nurse can provide wound dressing, I.V. therapy, pain control, and general health monitoring. A nurse's aide will do more menial tasks such as helping a patient in and out of bed, toileting, ensuring medications are taken on schedule, massage therapy, and simple muscle exercises. In addition to health services, they may provide transportation to doctor visits, meal preparation, basic cleaning services, and companionship. In some cases, home health care is delivered to a senior living center, assisted living facility, or long-term care facility. Sometimes home health care is for a limited time while a patient recovers from a health condition and regains independence. In other cases, a patient may require health services for the remainder of their life.

Getting Started with Home Health Services

It's important for the family to be involved in the decision to start home health care and in the planning for how services are delivered. A doctor will need to sign orders for home health care and provide details for what types of services and how often they are to be delivered. The home health service company will assign an appropriate caregiver and set up a schedule. The doctor, health care provider, patient, and family should all meet to ensure a good fit and go over the details.

Although in-home healthcare can be expensive, the comfort and peace of mind it provides to the patient and family is priceless. In many cases, Medicare or the patient's private insurance will cover all or part of the cost.