Did you know that nearly 90% of adults over 65 prefer to remain in their current homes as they grow older? The problem is that older adults can’t always take care of themselves.
Instead of immediately moving to a nursing home or senior living community, you can stay in your home by opting for home health care.
What are these services and what are their benefits? Keep reading to find out.
What Is Home Health Care?
Home health care includes a wide range of services that are provided in a home. This care is typically for seniors dealing with an injury or illness. It’s also best for aging adults that can no longer complete everyday tasks on their own.
Here are some examples of services included in home health care:
- Patient and caregiver education
- Injections
- Nutrition therapy
- Wound care for a surgical wound or pressure sores
- Monitoring unstable health status and serious illness
These services help aging adults live a normal life, get better, and prevent a quick decline as they age.
Now, let’s get into the benefits.
More Independence
Elderly adults don’t always admit that they are struggling to do daily activities on their own because they don’t want to lose their independence.
The primary benefit of home health care is that it helps older adults continue doing basic tasks without moving out of their homes. Home health professionals can aid older adults with these tasks:
- Walking
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Preparing meals
Home care allows elderly individuals to live independently at home for as long as they can.
Comfort, Safety, and Convenience
Senior citizens prefer to age in place because they are comfortable in their homes.
Patients get help with their medications through home health care. This is safe as home health aids prevent harmful drug interactions.
Occupational therapists can work in home care to help create safe environments. This will help reduce the risk of falls and other dangerous situations in the home.
Adults can stick to their routines in familiar and safe surroundings by opting for home care. This helps them maintain a sense of normalcy as they age.
Relief for Family Caregivers
A home nurse can provide relief for family caregivers that have taken on the burden. Family caregivers no longer have to put their lives on hold.
A home health team can also educate family members that need to know more about aging in place. They can also be taught to provide follow-up care when home health aids aren’t around.
Families are provided with peace of mind through this service. Plus, home health care can protect family members from caregiver burnout.
Saves Money
Home health care can save money in various ways. First, home health care prevents avoidable trips to the hospital. Aides help elderly adults manage their health conditions at home.
Home health care provides regular monitoring and education so that they can make the call if a hospital visit is necessary or not. Patients will have access to professionals all day, every day if they are having worrying symptoms.
Secondly, home health care saves money by delaying or preventing the need for nursing home care and other intensive care types.
The costs of home health care are covered by Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Some private insurance holders can use their policies for this type of care as well.
Your insurance provider will go through a home health billing company.
High-Quality, Personalized Care
If you want high-quality, personalized care, home health care is the way to go. Home health care runs on evidence-based practices and standards of care to ensure patients receive exactly what they need.
Patients receive one on one attention directly in their homes. This opens the door for a personalized care plan tailored to their specific needs.
When treatment is personalized, it’s more effective. Plus, this process builds trust between a home health care team, caregiver, and patient.
Wide Range of Services
A home nurse and other professionals offer a wide range of services for patients that opt for home health care. The team of professionals you’ll find with these services are:
- Nurses
- Physical therapists
- Speech therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Social workers
- Aides
These teams receive oversight from a physician as well. Team members are all trained and screened for professionalism.
Patients are able to see these professionals without having to a doctor’s office, hospital, or rehabilitation facility.
Companionship
One of the major benefits for senior citizens that receive home health care is companionship.
Home health care comes with no set visiting hours or time restrictions, so family and friends are free to visit whenever they’d like. Patients receive more social interaction from the people they know.
If a patient doesn’t have a lot of family, the home health care team will act as a companion for the elderly. This service combats loneliness and can bring some families together.
Do You Need Home Health Care?
If you want to age in place or have an elderly family member that refuses to leave their house, home health care is a great option to look into.
With these services, an aging adult can feel more independent, stay safe in their home, save money, and more.
Families don’t have to take care of their aging family members which can prevent burnout and bring families closer together.
If you want to reap all of the benefits in this guide, talk to a professional about home health care services. Keep coming back for more articles on our blog like this.
