Understanding Home Health Care

Understanding Home Health Care

Often misunderstood, Home Health Care is a generic term to describe care received in your home – wherever that home may be, your house, apartment, a rehab facility after surgery or long illness, or an assisted living, memory care community, or even a skilled nursing facility.

Medical home health care must have a doctor’s order and is typically covered by your health insurance for a specific period of time and includes such services as nurse visits, medication management, wound care, tele-health monitoring, and physical, occupational or speech therapy.  This would occur most often after a hospital stay, or prolonged illness.

Non-medical home care provides the services that cover pretty much everything else you deal with on a day to day basis.  Services include: companionship, transportation, whether it be to the doctor, shopping or to run errands, light housekeeping services,  (so not scrubbing the oven, or dusting the plant shelves, but keeping your living area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom(s) clean), meal preparation, medication reminders, personal care, (assistance with feeding, walking, toileting, bathing, dressing) or respite care.

Non-medical care is designed to assist you with the more strenuous daily tasks so you can stay as independent as possible for as long as possible by doing the things you can more easily and safely do.  The idea is to assist with the duties that may put you at risk, prevent you from healing appropriately or present a burden to you. It also provides respite care options for caregivers who may be overwhelmed with caregiving while trying to do take care of all their other responsibilities or take care of their own health. 

Non-medical care can be as flexible as just a few hours up to 24 hours/day, just once, for a short period of time or for as long as needed.  These services are funded privately or through, long-term care insurance or Veteran’s Aid and Attendance benefits.  Our Arizona Long-term Care program, ALTCS (Medicaid) will also pay for care if the appropriate criteria are met.

Authored by:  Elaine Poker-Yount is Community Liaison for Visiting Angels East Valley (480-833-8247 or elaine@visitingangelsaz.com

Bob Dailey, the owner of Visiting Angels East Valley, is the Arizona In-Home Care Association (AZNHA) Treasurer. This article is being submitted on behalf of AZNHA.

Visit us at:  www.aznha.org