The Differences Between Home Health and Home Care
As our loved ones age and begin to face health challenges, it’s important to ensure that they receive the appropriate level of care for their well-being. For older family members that are still living in their home, home health and home care are options that can provide the personalized help they need.
While these terms are often used interchangeably, they actually refer to two distinct types of care and serve very different needs.
Home Health
Usually covered by Medicaid and Medicare, home health care is a type of medical service provided by licensed healthcare professionals. It’s typically prescribed by a physician and involves a medical professional traveling to a patient’s home. Home health services are most commonly needed following a hospital stay or as an alternative to inpatient care. It’s not intended to be a long-term care plan.
Home health services include:
Skilled medical care: Home health services are provided by registered nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and other skilled medical professionals.This can include checking a patient’s vital signs, providing specialized treatments, wound care (like changing a dressing), medication management, and more.
Physician oversight: This type of care is prescribed and supervised by the patient’s primary care physician or a specialist. The care plan is tailored to the patient's specific medical needs and reviewed regularly by the physician.
Short-term and goal-oriented: Home health care is typically short-term and focused on achieving specific goals, such as regaining mobility after surgery or managing a condition until the patient stabilizes. It’s not meant to be an ongoing care plan.
Covered by insurance: Home health services are usually covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private health insurance.
Home Care
While home health is focused strictly on medical care, home care provides older loved ones with non-medical support with daily tasks at home in order to help them maintain their independence and enhance their quality of life.
Home care services include:
Personal care: Instead of medical care, home care workers can assist your older loved one with their activities of daily living (ADLs). This can include bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, housekeeping, medication reminders, errand running, and companionship.
Long-term support: Home care services provide consistent, long-term support for the individual's daily needs.
No medical component: Unlike home health services, which focuses on short-term medical support, home care does not involve medical procedures or treatments. Instead, it’s meant to ensure the individual's well-being, safety, and comfort at home.
Private pay: Home care services are not covered by health insurance. These services are typically paid for out-of-pocket or with long-term care insurance.
To recap, home health services are prescribed by a physician to manage a patient’s medical needs by providing skilled care to promote recovery, manage conditions, and help patients regain independence. They’re typically short-term and covered by insurance. On the other hand, home care offers long-term non-medical support, allowing individuals to maintain their daily routines and enjoy a better quality of life while remaining in their home, but is not covered by insurance.
At some point, it may become apparent that your loved one could benefit from additional care options and support provided by an assisted living facility. Coastal Transitions of Maine offers free, unbiased recommendations and guidance for families looking for the best independent, assisted living, and memory care communities. If you’d like to learn more, call us today at 207-222-3035 or email us at info@coastaltransitionsofmaine.com.