What is Home Care and How is it different from Home Health

Many people get confused between home care and home health care. Part of the reason is, many agencies who provide home health care, also provide home care and sometimes don’t explain what services fall under each of those categories.

What is Home Care?

Home care refers to providing non-medical assistance. This includes assistance with Activities of Daily Living also known as ADLs. this includes help with:

  • Personal Hygiene (bathing, showering, grooming)
  • Incontinence care
  • Light Housekeeping (please don’t consider them maid and don’t treat them like one)
  • Meal Preparation
  • Transportation
  • Transfers
  • Medication reminders
  • Running errands
  • Companionship and supervision

For more details on type of services covered under home care, you can refer to our services page.

Who Can Provide Home Care?

Home care can be provided by any unskilled worker, however depending upon the nature of the work and condition of client, different types and levels of training is essential for quality discharge of services. Certified Nurses Aid (CNA) or Home Health Aide (HHA) are trained and licensed professionals who have been trained to provide a higher level of care for clients needing home care services.

What is Home Health?

Home Health comprises of skilled services like nursing, physical therapy (PT) or occupational therapy (OT). These services are provided by licensed professional and is in lieu of you getting these services at a clinic, rehab or physical therapy facility. These professionals come to your home once or twice a week, depending upon what the doctor approves for and perform the services and monitor your progress. These services are generally for a limited period of time and can only be extended with the written consent of your doctor.

Do I need home care or home health?

Many times if you are recovering from a surgery or an accident, you probably need some combination of both types of services, that is the reason why many agencies that provide home health also provide home care since the patient needs both the services. However, over a period of time, your need for home health should subside but you may want to continue using home care to make sure you don’t injure your body while doing regular routine activities. Also seniors, patients with dementia and other mental disease, usually need someone to provide home care for them on a regular basis since they may not be able to perform their daily routine without risking injury to their body. For many seniors, it boils down to either moving into an assisted living facility or getting some home care assistance at their home and maintaining their independence. Here is a good breakdown of different living options that seniors have.

Life Foundation Home Care is focused on providing quality home care services to our clients in all of Greater Houston, Sugar Land and Golden Triangle area. Since our focus is home care, we ensure that our clients receive the highest level of home care services personalized to their individual needs. Give us a call or submit an online form to discuss if home care is the right option for you.

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