What is the Difference Between Home Health and Home Care?

The distinction between home care and home health services plays a crucial role in meeting diverse needs within the comfort of one’s own living space. Home care focuses on providing assistance with daily activities and companionship, while home health delivers skilled medical care under professional supervision. This difference has an impact on the type of support individuals receive, tailoring services to specific requirements ranging from personal care to specialized medical attention.

What is Home Care?

Home care encompasses professional support services that enable individuals to live safely and independently in their own homes. These services cater to a wide range of needs, including assistance for aging individuals, management of chronic health issues, recovery from medical setbacks, and support for those with special needs or disabilities. Professional caregivers, such as nurses, aides, and therapists, provide short-term or long-term care tailored to each person’s specific requirements.

The scope of home care services is broad and can include:

• Help with daily activities like dressing and bathing
• Assistance with household tasks
• Companionship
• Therapy and rehabilitative services
• Short- or long-term nursing care for illnesses, diseases, or disabilities

What Are the Benefits of Home Care?

1. Comfort and Familiarity: Aging individuals often feel more secure in their own homes, surrounded by their belongings and memories.
2. Independence and Autonomy: Home care allows seniors to maintain control over their daily routines and schedules, promoting a sense of dignity.
3. Personalized Care: One-on-one care in the home environment enables a more tailored approach to addressing specific needs and preferences.
4. Emotional Support: Caregivers offer companionship and social interaction, which can have positive effects on mental and emotional well-being.
5. Cost-Effectiveness: In some cases, home care can be more affordable than full-time residential care options.

What is Home Health ?

Home health care provides medical services in the comfort of your own home to help you recover from illness, injury, or surgery. It’s designed to be as effective as care received in a hospital or skilled nursing facility, but at a lower cost. Home health care is ideal for those with chronic health conditions or those transitioning from a hospital stay.

What Are the Benefits of Home Health ?

1. Personalized Care: You receive one-on-one attention tailored to your specific needs.
2. Faster Recovery: Research shows that older adults recover more quickly and with fewer complications at home.
3. Independence: Home health care helps you maintain your daily routines and independence.
4. Cost-Effective: It’s often more affordable than full-time residential care options.
5. Family Involvement: Your loved ones can be present during care visits and participate in your treatment plan.

Who Qualifies for Home Health Care Services?

To be eligible for home health care, you must:

1. Be considered “homebound” (difficult to leave home without assistance)
2. Need intermittent care from skilled professionals
3. Have a doctor-ordered and supervised plan of care

What is Palliative Care at Home?

Palliative care at home provides specialized medical care for individuals with serious illnesses. It focuses on improving your quality of life by managing symptoms and offering emotional and spiritual support. This care can be provided alongside curative treatments and is available to people of all ages.

What is a Home Health Aide?

A Home Health Aide is a medical professional who provides essential care and support to individuals in their own homes. These professionals assist patients with daily activities, ensuring their comfort and well-being. Home Health Aides work with people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly, often collaborating with Registered Nurses to deliver comprehensive care.

What does a Home Health Aide do?

Home Health Aides have a wide range of responsibilities to help patients maintain their independence and quality of life. Their duties include:

1. Assisting with personal care activities such as bathing, dressing, and grooming
2. Helping with mobility and physical exercises
3. Monitoring vital signs and reporting changes in patient condition
4. Providing light housekeeping services, including laundry and meal preparation
5. Offering companionship and emotional support
6. Accompanying patients to medical appointments
7. Instructing patients and families on diet and exercise
8. Maintaining care records and documentation of services provided

What are Home Health Aides not allowed to do?

While Home Health Aides provide valuable support, there are certain tasks they are not permitted to perform:

1. Administering medications or giving injections
2. Performing medical procedures such as changing sterile dressings or inserting catheters
3. Making clinical assessments or changes in treatment plans
4. Providing medical advice
5. Combining different medications or filling reminder boxes with prescribed doses
6. Performing tasks that require specialized medical training or licensing

Conclusion

Understanding the difference between these two options empowers individuals and families to make informed decisions about their care needs. Whether it’s the comfort of familiar surroundings, the independence of maintaining routines, or the necessity for medical oversight, both home care and home health services offer valuable alternatives to institutional care. As healthcare continues to evolve, these in-home options remain essential components in supporting the well-being and quality of life for those requiring assistance.

About Mission:

Mission is a clinically owned and operated organization whose services include Mission Home Health, Mission Hospice, and Mission Home Care.  By providing these three service lines, Mission Healthcare strives to have a positive impact on the lives of patients, their families, and their healthcare partners no matter what their needs may be. Mission utilizes all available resources to provide their patients the highest level of care possible, all while in the optimal healing environment, the home.