Home care, also known as in-home care or social care is a type of care provided by licensed professionals to elderly people in the care receiver’s own home. The activities handled by an in-home healthcare professional range from providing assistance with daily chores, such as eating, bathing and getting dressed to the administration of medication and activities related to the patient’s rehabilitation after an illness, such as speech therapy, physical therapy.
What Types of Activities Are Handled by Home Health Care Persons?
The term home care and home health care are used interchangeably in most states, but in some regions, such as in the state of New York, home care refers to non-medical care that includes light housework and general assistance, while home health care is the term used for the assistance provided by licensed medical professionals, such as nurses, physical therapists, dietitians. Depending on the type of care required, in-home healthcare providers handle some or all the following chores:
- Household chores, including light cleaning, laundry and preparing meals for the patient;
- Running errands and shopping;
- Assistance with common activities for the patient, such as help with bathing, eating, getting dressed, moving around the house;
- Rehabilitation and post-treatment care – this type of home care services is provided by qualified and experienced registered nurses and medical professionals;
- Special care – home health care is available in specialized forms, provided by specialists trained to work with patients who suffer from cognitive impairments or from speaking difficulties, such as the problems caused by a recent stroke. Some in-home healthcare specialists are also trained to recognize symptoms that might require hospital treatment as well.
Who Are In-Home Healthcare Professionals?
Home care can be provided by skilled as well as by unskilled providers, training-related requirements depending on the level of care needed. Many Castle Rock CO providers of such services are employed directly by the patient or by the patient’s relative, while in the cases when the patient qualifies for coverage by Medicare, the home healthcare professional’s services are provided by an agency and paid for by Medicare.
Who Can Receive Home Care?
In most cases, home care Castle Rock CO healthcare services are used by seniors who need assistance to be able to continue living in their own home safely. However, home care services are not only for seniors – the patients receiving this type of care can be adults of any age who are recovering after hospital care or after having stayed in a nursing facility and need further assistance during the recovery, but no longer need to be hospitalized. Home health care is also the type of assistance used by parents who have disabled children or by people taking care of adults suffering from disabilities. Home care services can be provided for a short period of time, until the patient makes full recovery and can manage living safely in their home or as long-term care, in the case of patients suffering from some sort of chronic or incurable condition.
The Benefits of Home Health Care
The most important benefits of hiring a Castle Rock CO home health care person are affordability, improved comfort and personalized care. Using home health care services is usually much cheaper than hospitalization or life in a nursing facility, the patients can continue to live safely in their own home and the care they receive is tailored to their needs.