4 Tips For Switching From Home Care To Home Health Care

If you or a loved one is a senior and needs assistance at home, you will likely be looking for either home care or home heath care. While the basic difference between the two is that home care covers basic needs and care and is provided by trained professionals who are usually not medically certified while home health care covers specific medical needs and is provided by registered or certified nurses. However, choosing between the two may be confusing at first. Below are some of the things you should keep in mind:

Know the Differences Between the Two 

Many people assume that home health care is the same as home care, except with a more experienced caregiver. However, in reality, the tasks that home caregivers and home health caregivers complete are quite different. While there is some overlap in companionship, bathing, and personal grooming, medical caregivers tend to focus on the physical body of the patient while home caregivers have a broader awareness of the state of the home. 

Make Sure a Doctor Prescribes Home Health Care 

It is possible to get home health care without a doctor's prescription. However, you can often get cheaper home health care and have part or all of it covered by insurance if you get a prescription. Some companies only offer nurses for patients with a prescription while individual providers and other companies may offer services to people with or without a prescription, so if you have a prescription, you will have a greater choice of providers. 

Consider Utilizing Both 

When you switch to home health care, there will still be some basic household chores you will have to do on your own. For example, shopping and cleaning are not usually included as part of home health care. If possible, you may want to employ the services of both a home health care provider and a home care provider. Make sure you are upfront with your caregivers about what tasks you will need help with. This will allow them to make recommendations for you. 

Talk to Your Insurance Company About Your Options

Before you make any decisions about changing your current care situation, you should call your insurance company and ask what options they cover. Most insurance companies only cover home health care. But depending on how much of the cost they cover, a split care plan utilizing home care and home health care may be more affordable for you. 

Contact a senior care service for more information and assistance.