Home Care: How Does It Work?
Posted on: 26 October 2021
Do you know someone who is struggling to take care of themselves but does not want to move into an assisted living or nursing home yet? If they're serious about wanting to stay in their home longer, look into home health care. Home care is a great resource for the elderly people in your life.
What Is Home Care?
Home care allows for nurses and caregivers to come into your home to provide you with the health care or home care services you need. Home care services can be a long-term/permanent setup or a short-term/temporary setup. Home care services allow you to keep your independence and continue living in your own home.
Home health care is a great option for the following:
- Elderly
- Disabled
- Injured
Home Care Services Offered
Different agencies may offer different services.
Some of the services that can be offered include:
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Wound care
- Medication management
- Bathing assistance
- Toileting assistance
- Independent living skills
- Transportation
- Grocery shopping
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
There are many more services available; you just need to find the agency that offers the services you need.
How Does Home Care Work?
Home care is most often set up through an agency. You or your case manager (if applicable) can send in a referral to one or more agencies to request home care services. There are a lot of agencies out there, so make sure you pick an agency you feel safe and comfortable with. The agency you choose will usually do the communicating with insurance for you. They will find out the amount and type of services that insurance can cover. After that's all settled, it's time to begin services.
The first visit will be the intake or start of care visit. This means they will go over some paperwork and/or do a more thorough evaluation, depending on the service. After the first visit is complete, you will be able to set up a schedule with your caregiver/nurse for when you'd like them to complete the services. Because the caregiver/nurse will be coming into your home, it's important to make sure you feel comfortable with them.
No Insurance? No Problem
If you want home care services, you do not have to have insurance. There is always a private pay option for all clients. This means you can pay for your services out of pocket. This will be more expensive because you will not have insurance helping with the cost, but some believe it's better than going to a nursing home.
For more information about home health, reach out to a local provider, like A Nurse's Touch Healthcare Inc.
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