Home healthcare is professional nursing care and various other healthcare services you get at home for the care of a certain illness or injury. There are various types of services under home healthcare that include, doctor care; nursing care; physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy; Medical social services; care from home health aides; and homemaker or basic assistance care.
Doctor Care
A doctor may visit a patient at home to diagnose and treat the illness. The patient may also periodically review the home health care needs. Local health care providers offer a variety of medical services. They provide primary care physician services, specialty care programs and referral services, home health care programs and long-term care management.
Nursing Care
Nursing care refers to the professional care of individuals that are unable to care for themselves in their homes due to a physical disability or illness. Medicare considers home healthcare to be either skilled nursing care, in-house nursing care or non-skilled nursing care services to cure an injury or illness. Skilled nursing care is medical care supervised by licensed nurses, while in-house nursing care is direct care from licensed practical nurses. However, many people are not comfortable receiving care from strangers in their own home, so home healthcare has evolved to provide the skilled nursing care that most people desire at home. Skilled nursing care usually includes assistance with daily personal hygiene, medications and prescriptions, and the basic monitoring and maintenance of the patient’s overall health condition.
Nursing home healthcare services are designed to provide the medical treatments most suitable for the patient and his or her unique condition. The services range from short-term help with routine tasks like measuring blood pressure or temperature, or providing specialized medical care for patients suffering from a specific condition. For example, a patient suffering from diabetes may require daily diabetic checkups and medications in order to maintain proper levels of glucose in the bloodstream. All nursing home healthcare services involve ongoing medical monitoring and treatment, so patients must have regular doctor visits and be treated according to their health and needs.
Physical, Occupational, and/or Speech Therapy
Physical therapy at home is a way for people to take advantage of the same quality service the hospital offers but at their convenience. Patients want to be able to go to the doctor when they have health issues but also do not want to have to deal with the hassle of driving to the hospital and waiting for an appointment. Many also dread the idea of spending time in the waiting room and getting no care from a professional when they just need help right away. Home healthcare has become a huge part of the health care industry because of this concern.
Ease and access is often the first thing many physical therapy patients say they want when talking about why they prefer home healthcare over visiting their preferred physician’s office. Rather than dealing with travel difficulties, weather, and other variables that greatly impact individuals who are traveling from their home to get outpatient physical therapy, they can instead simply focus on the therapeutic process when the physical therapist comes to them. This saves them time and gives them one less thing to think about on the trip.
Medical Social Services
Medical social services is a part of home healthcare. Medical social workers generally work in an acute care hospital, long term care facility, community health office, skilled nursing facility, or hospice. They often work directly with patients and families in immediate need of emotional support. In this setting they deal with all of the usual patient concerns including the medical aspects of care, but also deal with matters that deal with the family and the immediate environment. These are often personal issues that arise when someone in the patient’s life becomes ill or develops an illness or disability that affects the patient’s ability to function normally in their daily life.
In addition to assisting patients with their medical needs, medical social services workers can provide general health-related assistance to home healthcare agencies, long term care facilities, hospices and home health agencies. In these settings they are often called upon to assist with day-to-day activities like shopping for groceries, getting clothing and other necessary items, and filling out medical records, assisting doctors during examinations, arranging for immunizations and providing medical social services to patients who are emotionally unstable. Home healthcare agencies are generally run by and trained caregiver, while long term care facilities are staffed by licensed nurses and/or other licensed medical staff. Some long term care facilities require medical social services workers to be involved in providing ongoing health-care services to residents who are receiving assisted living assistance. The services range from helping with bathing and hair care, preparing meals, assisting with transportation and companionship needs, dealing with financial and legal issues and more.
Home Health Aides
Home health aides provide services and assistance to individuals in their home. Whether working for the patient or for the caregiver, these health aides play an important role in maintaining the quality of life for patients who can’t tend to their own needs. Home healthcare is sometimes recommended for people who live alone, have severe disabilities or limited mobility, or are aging and require more personalized care than can be provided by traditional hospitals. However, in recent years, studies have shown that home healthcare does not meet the needs of many low-income individuals and families. These studies found that many families who would be served by home healthcare services don’t have the income to sustain the services and that the quality of care from home health aides is often below par.
Low-income individuals and their families can also benefit from home healthcare services when they experience an acute illness that requires fast care on an immediate basis. Most hospitals will not consider arranging for an individual’s care until they have reached the point of paralysis or severe illness. Illnesses that typically require home health aides include cancer treatments, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, respiratory problems, COPD, and other diseases that typically require regular monitoring and treatment. The most effective care plan combines a variety of services from qualified home health aides that allows patients to get the help they need as soon as possible. A home health aide doesn’t need to be a doctor in his or her field. Home healthcare providers are typically bonded and follow stringent licensing requirements, so you will have peace of mind that your loved one is receiving the very best care under the supervision of medical personnel.
According to Coherent Market Insights, Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is expected to propel growth of global home healthcare market over the forecast period. For instance, according to the study, “Global and regional diabetes prevalence estimates for 2019 and projections for 2030 and 2045: Results from the International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas, 9th edition”, published in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, in September 2019, 463 million people are expected to suffer from diabetes in 2019 worldwide and the number is expected to reach 578 million by 2030 and 700 million by 2045.