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There’s no doubt about it, finding a home health care provider is not always an easy task. The best secret we can offer is to do your upfront research the moment you suspect there may be a need. Since factors such as quality of care, availability of the service need, training of the provider and payment options are all factors, this time devoted to research can pay itself back in spades. The best place to start is to ask your physician’s office or the hospital’s discharge department, and check into your community’s office on (more…)

This is Part II in an overview of home health care providers and how each is best used as individual needs are presented.Social workers can be vitally important to patients since they work to evaluate the social and emotional factors affecting ill and disabled individuals and provide recommendations and counseling. Additionally, they help patients and family members identify community resources that may not only benefit the treatment plan, but quality of life as well. And last, social workers often serve as (more…)

As mentioned in an earlier article, home health care can run the full gamut from constant medical supervision to periodical meal preparation, speech therapy, or medical equipment supply services. As such, the service providers and their specialties can be equally far-reaching. Following is an overview of the three most commonly recognized providers, and a subsequent article will talk about some others.Physicians often visit and treat patients in their own homes just as they would in their private offices or hospitals. As such, they work in concert with home health care service providers to assure that the patient’s needs pertaining to medical care are being met and treatments plans established (including the inclusion of additional physicians if warranted). Physicians will prescribe and oversee the treatment plan with home health personnel as dictated by the severity of the patient’s need but at a minimum of once every 62 days (under Medicare guidelines).Nurses provide services at a skill level that cannot be performed safely or efficiently by nonprofessional individuals. These services include injections and intravenous therapy, wound care, education on disease treatment and prevention, and general patient assessments. The complexity of a patient’s medical condition and treatment plan determine whether care should be provided by an RN (registered nurse) or can be provided by an LPN (licensed practical nurse).Physical therapists work upon recommendation by a physician to restore the mobility and strength of patients who are limited in their mobility by physical injuries. Through the use of exercise, massage, and other methods physical therapists are often able to alleviate pain and work toward restoration of injuries. In addition to frequent hands-on treatment plans physical therapists often teach patients and caregivers special techniques for walking and transfer should mobility be genuinely compromised.These are the three most commonly thought of home health care providers, but stay tuned for the next articles which will go deeper into the resources available.

When you or someone you love is ill and in need of additional services this can certainly seem a daunting task. Rest assured there are plenty of resources available including some that can be tailored to your exact need. Following are some of the more common resources and some information to support each.Home Health Agencies typically indicate that the individual providing the service has been Medicare certified (which means the agency has met federal minimum requirements for patient care). Because of the requirements in place, employees and service providers of home health agencies are highly supervised, controlled, and held accountable.Hospice Care typically involves an interdisciplinary team of professionals and service volunteers to provide comprehensive medical, psychological and spiritual care for those who are terminally ill as well as furnishing support for the patient’s family. Trained hospice providers are available 24/7 to help the patient and family to ensure that the patient is comfortable, free from pain, and that wishes are being honored. As with home health agencies, most hospices are also Medicare licensed and certified.Staffing and Private Agencies are typically nursing agencies that provide medical, homemaker, and companion services to those (more…)

It seems that home health care is self-defined, but in actuality it goes a lot deeper than one might first imagine since the practice encompasses a range of not only health services but social services and recuperative equipment, as well. But typical to its name, the services are delivered to at-home individuals who are recovering, disabled, chronically or terminally ill and in need of medical (including nursing), social, or therapeutic (most often physical therapy) treatment or assistance with regard to not only their recovery but to their daily living needs, as well. Determining whether or not home health care is necessary is often dependent on each person’s individual needs — some may need constant care when friends or family are not available to help (or when the care is medically-based) while others may only require care a few hours a week with responsibilities that can vary from meal preparation to (more…)