Home care is specific care given to people who are aging in place, disabled, recovering from surgery, and chronically ill. Its main goal is to provide services to individuals who have special needs and require medical attention right in the comfort of their homes.
Research shows that patients heal faster at home than at any medical facility. Additionally, in-home care is usually less expensive than its other counterparts, such as hospitalization or assisted living.
In addition to healing benefits and cost-effective care, home care offers different services for every distinct need of each care recipient. These services include personal care, household chores, money management, and health care. Let’s talk more about these services here.
Non-Medical Care
This type of home care service goes by different names. For example, people call it “personal care and companionship,” “homemaker care,” “home health aide services,” “senior care,” “companion care,” or “assistive care.”
While many home care recipients and providers call it differently, this home care type, i.e., usually offered by many non-medical senior care franchises only does one specific thing: to accompany the care recipient—the caregiver services like how the family members will do.
In general, the service is associated with everyday activities, such as:
- Self-care assistance – such as using the toilet, bathing, or dressing
- Safety assistance – such as ambulation, fall prevention, wheelchair transfer (e.g., from wheelchair to bed or toilet bowl and vice versa)
- House chores assistance – such as planning or making meals, doing the laundry, light housekeeping
- Escort/companionship – such as escorting the recipients to pay bills, run errands, or hang out
- Round-the-clock supervision – especially for those who have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
Most of the caregiver’s tasks are to provide personal care to the recipient. Therefore, the service must be ongoing based on the schedule in favor of the care recipient’s needs. Depending on their status, the service can be 24/7 and live-in care. It’s necessary, especially for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia patients who need round-the-clock supervision.
Further, non-medical care service doesn’t have to be prescribed by a doctor. However, in terms of medication, the caregiver should know what the recipient’s attending physician has advised. Also, the caregiver should be aware of the recipient’s health care provider and insurance in case they need immediate medical care.
Private Duty or Nursing Care
Nursing care often needs to stay 24/7 in the recipient’s house as it will provide care for those with specific medical needs. Hence, they’re called private duty nurses. They’re going to provide medical-related services, so they have to follow a doctor’s prescription.
Like non-medical care, this type of home care also has different names, including catastrophic care, ventilator care, or catastrophic care. As these names imply, the private nurse has to provide services for people suffering from various diseases.
It may include giving service to those who have traumatic brain injury (TBI), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), and many more. These services may include the following:
- Administering medications
- Vital signs monitoring
- Catheter care
- Feeding tube care
- Ventilator care
- Tracheostomy care
- Ostomy/gastrostomy care
Everything mentioned above should be provided in a timely and extended period of time. That’s why most caregivers should give home-based skilled service, often hourly and long-term nursing care. Other caregivers, especially those who have their own families to take care of, can do shifting instead of doing in-home care, though.
Home Health Care
In contrast to nursing care, home health care provides short-term care primarily to prevent or recover from hospital stays, injuries, or illnesses. Sometimes, the doctor visits the patient themselves. This care offers the following services:
- Physical therapy
- Speech-language pathology
- Occupational therapy
- Home health aide services
- Short-term nursing services
- Medical social work
If the attending physician isn’t available, a medicare-certified home health caregiver can give the physician-directed service instead. However, unlike non-medical or nursing care, they aren’t going to stay in a recipient’s house for a long time. Hence, this care is commonly called visiting nurse services or intermittent skilled care.
The service given by specialized clinicians will mostly last for at least an hour, depending on what kind of consultation. The care will be on a short-term basis and will continue until the patient’s primary medical goal is achieved.
Does Insurance Cover Home Care Services?
In-home care services are typically free out of charity and community services. Some insurance coverages can also cover them, but not all. One sample exclusion is PPO meaning Preferred Provider Organization. It’s a health plan that contracts with medical providers who’ll provide services at reduced rates. However, these services are usually offered at a medical facility, not at home.
Final Thoughts
In choosing the best home care service, it’s best to undergo a professional consultation. Ask your patient and their attending physician about the medically best and safest arrangement for a home care service. There are many home care providers in almost every state nowadays, but not all provide excellent services. Hence, be sure to do your part in research to ensure the safety of your loved.
Read Also
- The Benefits of Contract Labor Staffing in Healthcare
The most successful healthcare facilities today aren’t just reacting to crises—they are building workforce resilience to withstand them. Unpredictable patient demand, coupled with persistent nursing shortages, has made the traditional staffing model obsolete. Relying on mandatory overtime to cover a sudden surge in capacity is a recipe for high turnover and rising employee burnout relief… Read more: The Benefits of Contract Labor Staffing in Healthcare - Why the Keto Diet Works for Some People—and Fails Dramatically for Others: An Ayurvedic Breakdown for Modern HealthcareThe keto diet has dominated weight-loss culture for years. For some people, it produces rapid fat loss, stable energy, and improved mental clarity. For others—especially those who gain weight easily—it leads to burnout, digestive distress, rebound weight gain, high cholesterol, and a metabolism that feels slower than before. Healthcare often frames this as a discipline… Read more: Why the Keto Diet Works for Some People—and Fails Dramatically for Others: An Ayurvedic Breakdown for Modern Healthcare
- Why Whole Slide Imaging Shapes the Future of Digital PathologyWhole slide imaging has become one of the most important developments in modern pathology. It changes how tissue is examined, how cases are shared and how pathologists collaborate with the wider care team. More than a technological upgrade, it represents a shift in how laboratories think about their workflow, their storage needs and the tools… Read more: Why Whole Slide Imaging Shapes the Future of Digital Pathology
- How to Choose the Best Assisted Living Facility for SeniorsAre you looking for the right assisted living facility for a senior loved one? Choosing a place can feel overwhelming. There are many factors to consider, from care services to the environment. Safety, comfort, and social opportunities play important roles in daily life. Each senior has unique needs and preferences that must be met. Understanding… Read more: How to Choose the Best Assisted Living Facility for Seniors
- Burn Smart, Not Hard; Shape Burn: Clean Protein for Weight ManagementYou want to feel light, strong, and confident. You don’t want crash diets or fake promises. You need a plan that works with your body, not against it. That’s where Shape Burn comes in. You can burn fat without losing strength. You can eat better and stay full. You can manage weight in a way… Read more: Burn Smart, Not Hard; Shape Burn: Clean Protein for Weight Management
