In evaluating your health care needs, it is important that you fully understand what services are available to you for in-home care. For some, there is confusion about the differences and similarities between private duty care and home health care. To help you make the right choice based on your needs, you need to understand what services are available through each.
Home Health Care
Home health care is considered to be a less expensive option for people who are in need of in-home medical care. The help offered is considered supportive and designed to help the patient remain in the home instead of being hospitalized or moved to a nursing home or assisted living facility.
Home health care covers a wide-range of skills, including short-term nursing, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services. The length of time that you could receive assistance depends on your needs. For instance, if you are recovering from an injury, the home health aide could remain with you until you are fully recovered or at a point that does not require any more assistance.
The expense of home health care is usually covered by insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid as long as it is considered to be medically necessary. Your doctor would have to evaluate you, determine what services are needed, and provide your insurance provider with this information so that you can receive services.
Private Duty Care
Private duty care differs slightly from home health care. Private duty care also offers a range of services, including skilled medical professionals to assist a patient in the home. It can be for a short period of time or longer, depending on the needs of the patient.
Private duty care tends to be more custodial than home health care. For instance, in private duty care, you could be helped with more than just your medical needs. A professional can help you with meal preparation, housekeeping, medication reminders, and transportation. Your home health aide could even be responsible for running errands for you. Some private duty care workers do not offer medical skills beyond the basics, such as helping with incontinence care.
You can also choose to pay for the services you receive instead of relying on insurance to do so.
The best way to evaluate which services you need, contact a home health care agency and schedule an evaluation. Most agencies offer a wide range of professionals that offer a variety of services for patients.
