Many older adults could be getting the support of home health care but aren’t. Why are they missing out? Many don’t know what home health care is or how it could help them. Some confuse it with personal home care, which does not provide medical services. Others know what it is, but don’t think they’re eligible. You might be able to get the benefits of home health care and not even know it.
So, what is home health care?
[callout 1]
What Are Home Health Care Services?
Now that you know the home health definition, let’s define home health services. Home health care offers more than what people typically think of as “health care.” Home health can include a wide range of medical services such as:
- Medical services from licensed nurses
- Occupational therapy to help you do daily activities safely in your home
- Speech therapy to improve feeding, swallowing and communication
- Physical therapy to relieve pain and restore flexibility, strength, balance and coordination
- Medical social work to coordinate community resources
- Help with bathing, dressing and other daily tasks, as long as it is required as part of the skilled plan of care
- Patient and caregiver education so you learn how to manage your condition on your own
- Medication management to make sure you’re taking medications as directed by your doctor
- Injections and intravenous therapy
- Fall prevention
- Wound care
Who Benefits from Home Health Care?
How do you know if you are a candidate for home health care? It’s important to understand that there are eligibility requirements for home health. For example, you must be considered homebound. This means leaving home takes a taxing effort and you need the help of a walker, wheelchair or other device, or another person to leave home.
You might also meet this requirement if you’ve been advised by your doctor to stay home because leaving could make your condition worse. Homebound means that if you do leave home, it is only periodically and for a short time. This may include, for example, going out for important appointments, religious services or certain family events.
Another requirement is that you need intermittent (not continuous) care from skilled professionals, such as nurses and/or physical, occupational and speech therapists. In addition, your plan of care must be supervised by a doctor or other authorized provider.
Home health care might be right for you if you meet the eligibility requirements and you:
- Visit your health care provider a lot
- Get admitted to the hospital or visit the emergency department often
- Have one or more chronic health conditions, like heart failure, COPD or diabetes
- Take several medications
- Recently had a fall
- Need nursing, therapy or other skilled help after an illness, injury or surgery
- Are struggling with daily activities like bathing, dressing or eating
- Are adjusting to a new diagnosis or medication
You will need a doctor’s order to start home health services.1 Care starts with a visit to your home to talk about your needs and learn more about your health. A team member will ask questions about your diet, medications, pain level, home safety and other aspects of your life. Then the team collaborates with your physician to make a plan geared toward your needs, and updates your doctor on your progress.
Still wondering, “What is home health care?” Read answers to our frequently asked questions.
How to Pay for Home Health Care
Sometimes people think that a helpful service like home health care must be expensive. Not so. If you meet eligibility requirements and have a doctor’s order, Medicare can cover the cost of home health care through a Medicare-certified agency.2 Medicaid, the Veterans Administration and some private insurance plans also pay all or some of the cost. If any services aren’t covered, the home health agency will tell you how much you have to pay before providing the service.
Why Patients Prefer Home Health Care
More people want to recover at home if possible than at a skilled nursing facility.3 Here are a few reasons why:
- Comfort and convenience of home
- Help to live independently
- Feel better and slow decline
- Delay or prevent the need for a nursing home or hospital
- Often cheaper than the care you get in a skilled nursing facility or hospital, depending on insurance coverage and patient circumstance
- High-quality care from licensed nurses and therapists
What Home Health Care Is Not
It’s important to get answers to the question “What is home health care?” But it’s also helpful to know what home health care is not. Here are a few facts to know about the home health care definition:
Home health is not limited to people who are bedbound.
Based on the home health definition, you must be homebound. Homebound is not the same as bedbound, which means you’re unable to get out of bed. In fact, home health services are designed to help you move around better and handle daily tasks on your own.
Home health is not the same as home care.
Home care, or personal care, provides non-medical help with chores and daily activities. Home health care does not provide services like housekeeping or companionship, and it does not provide assistance with tasks like bathing and dressing unless they are needed as part of the skilled plan of care.
The home health definition is also different from hospice, which provides pain and symptom relief in the last few months of life.
Home health care is not a long-term service.
To be covered by Medicare, your need for home health must be short-term or intermittent (not continuous).4 The main goals are to teach you how to care for yourself, manage your health and live as independently as possible.
Home health is not 24/7 care.
Members of the home health team regularly visit your home. They monitor you for health changes during these visits and provide medical care. The rest of your day-to-day care will need to be provided by another caregiver, usually either a family member or a paid caregiver.
How to Access Home Health Care
If you think home health care might be right for you or a loved one, ask your healthcare provider about it. Together, you can decide which type of care will help you meet your goals and whether you meet eligibility criteria.
A high-quality home health care agency like Amedisys can answer questions and talk through your needs. We can help coordinate your care with your doctor so you can start feeling better and get back to doing the things you love.
Want to learn more about the home health care definition? You can call an Amedisys home health care center near you to learn more about what home health care is and explore your eligibility for care.
TeRonna Hall, BSN, RN, CCP, serves as a Clinical Content Development Specialist at Amedisys. With 36 years of healthcare experience, including 34 years in home health, she is dedicated to educating others on health-related topics.
