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Home Health Care & Home Care

What are Home Health and Home Care?
 

Home health care and home care helps older adults live independently for as long as possible, even with an illness or injury. It covers a wide range of services and can often delay the need for long-term nursing home care.

 

Home health care may include occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy, and skilled nursing. It may involve helping older adults with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, and eating. It can also include assistance with cooking, cleaning, other housekeeping, and monitoring one’s medication regimen.

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It is important to understand the difference between home health care and home care services. Although home health care may include some home care services, it is medical in nature. Home care services include chores, housecleaning, and sitter services, whereas home health care usually involves helping someone to recover from an illness or injury. 

 

Home health care professionals are often licensed practical nurses, therapists, or home health aides. Most of them work for home health agencies, hospitals, or public health departments licensed by the state.

Home Care Lafayette Louisiana
Home health aid doing homemaking in lafayette louisiana

Is Home Health Care or Home Care Right for Me?

Home health care is designed to help the patient rest, recover, and receive treatment in the comfort of their own home or residence. Services provided by home health care are offered with the goal of helping the patient regain independence to become as self-sufficient as possible while also managing their disease or condition.

Home health care can benefit both acute and chronic conditions, including but not limited to the following:

  • Alzheimer's Disease

  • Chronic kidney disease

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

  • Diabetes

  • Heart disease

  • Recovery from illness or surgery

  • Chronic conditions or injuries

In addition to providing medically necessary services for the treatment of the above conditions, home health care professionals act as a liaison between the patient, the patient's family, and the patient's doctor. Home health care professionals keep a log for each visit and provide updates on the patient's condition to the doctor as needed. This helps to ensure continuity of care.

If you don't need medical care, but you could still use some helping hands around the home and with some of your personal care tasks, home care could be a great solution for you.  Home care provides assistance with homemaking, personal care, running errands, and sometimes transportation. 

Services Provided by Home Health 

Home health care consists of medically necessary, skilled services prescribed by a physician for the treatment of an illness, injury, or medical condition.

Skilled services provided by home health care may include the following:

  • Infusion therapy

  • Medication management

  • Nursing care

  • Nutrition services

  • Pain management

  • Psychiatric services

  • Social work

  • Therapy (physical, occupational, speech)

  • Personal Care Services

* Some home health agencies offer homecare services (homemaking & sitting services) in addition to the skilled services.

Services provided by home health care professionals are tailored to the patient's individual needs. Examples include checking vital signs, assessing pain, monitoring food intake, managing medications, helping with basic hygiene, and ensuring safety in the home.

Services Provided by Home Care 

Home Care is non-medical services including:

  • Help with personal grooming, like bathing or getting dressed

  • Medication reminders

  • Help with moving around, getting in and out of bed or the shower

  • Preparing meals

  • Light housekeeping like washing dishes, vacuuming, or doing laundry

  • Companionship and friendship

How Much Does Home Health Care Cost?
How Much Does Home Care Cost?
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