Home Health Care 101: What You Need to Know About Disability Home Care

What You Need to Know About Home Health Care

If you love someone who has a disability, you want him or her to experience the highest level of quality care possible. Many people choose home health care to accomplish this while allowing the family member to remain in his or her home. Finding quality disability home care can be challenging, but it's not impossible. 

There are a wide variety of home care disability services available to consumers today. The range of care offered by these services varies based on the needs of the client and his or her family. Some of the services offered are limited and simply offer occasional check-ins and check-ups; other services are more hands-on and direct. 

Home health care for disabled adults is a wonderful service that can help someone with disabilities to get the care he or she needs at home while offering peace of mind to that individual's family or other loved ones.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about the services available to people seeking home health care.

What Is Home Health Care?

Home health care is exactly what its name implies. There are a wide variety of reasons someone might need home health care. Fortunately, this is a service that is widely available in the United States today. In fact, 7.6 million people in our country require some level of home healthcare or personal aide, and that care is provided by over 20,000 home health care providers nationwide. 

Home health care is skilled care. It is delivered to individuals in their homes by licensed medical professionals such as nurses, therapists, and aides. The goal of home health care is to manage or treat an illness, injury, or other medical condition. In some cases, home health care is provided on a short term basis; others may receive home health care for many years on an ongoing basis. 

When it comes to home health care for adults with disabilities, the recipient of the care is often living at a private residence while others may live in an assisted living facility, a long-term nursing home, or a memory care facility.

In all cases, home health care meets the patient where he or she lives, rather than asking that patient to travel somewhere for his or her personal care.

Who Receives Home Health Care?

People with a wide range of ailments and diseases receive home health care services. Some people receive home health care services after an accident or surgery. Some need it for infusions therapy or delivery of specific medications. Others may need physical or occupational therapy once a week. Still, others require it for memory care issues including dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

A large number of people who receive home health care services receive these services due to a disability, which may be progressive in nature.

Home health care is available to anyone, but if it is not covered by Medicare or other insurance, it can be very costly. In order for home health care to be covered by Medicare, the individual receiving it must be deemed "homebound." This means that the person in need of care cannot safely leave their own home without assistance from others or assistive devices like canes, walkers, crutches, or wheelchairs.  

Many people considered homebound do occasionally leave their homes for doctor's appointments, religious services, family events, or other special occasions, but for the most part, it is understood that they are safer at home. This is why the care comes to them.

What Are the Benefits of Home Health Care?

Home health care for disabled adults can give these individuals hope and independence. Services are tailored to each patient's needs. In some cases, this sort of health care exists to help the patient regain independence and self-sufficiency. In other situations, home health care is an ongoing service that will continue for many years and could change as a person's disability progresses.

Caregiver duties for disabled patients can span a wide range of tasks. Providers may offer direct nursing care, pain management, nutrition services, and medication management, psychiatric services, and more. Upon arrival, a home health care nurse or aide may take vitals, administer pain medication, and record symptoms in a journal. He or she may also provide physical or occupational therapy services to disabled patients.

When a patient needs to go to a hospital or other care facility for additional care, the home health care provider may go along for the ride to help him or her settle in and to speak with doctors about the patient's health. 

There are several goals met by home health care. Home health care services ensure that patients who have few options will get regular medical care. It helps to monitor these patients for chronic conditions and keeps them out of hospitals when possible. It also encourages patients to keep up with medical care in an easy way, while saving them time, money, and energy that would be required for an in-person medical visit.

How Do I Get Home Health Care?

If you think you or a loved one may be eligible for home health care, the first step is to speak with your family doctor. Your doctor will evaluate the patient's condition and will create a home health care plan. Once this plan exists, you can use it to contact your insurance company to find out about coverage. 

Remember, potential home care patients must not only have this plan from a doctor, but the individual must qualify as homebound. He or she cannot require around-the-clock nursing care but must have a need for skilled nursing or therapy services on an ongoing but intermittent basis. 

Home Health Care Changes Lives

It's wonderful that home health care is available to patients in our country today. It helps the people who need it in so many ways. The fact that these patients are able to stay in their residences while receiving top-notch care is fantastic. Home health care allows them to stay independent while still getting the care that they need.  

Find out if you or your loved one is eligible for home health care today. Call your doctor and make an appointment and explain to him or her that you think home health care is right for your particular situation. 

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