Home Care Vs. Home Health Care Services: What is the difference?

When trying to distinguish between home care services and home health care services like here  https://www.allheartcare.com/, sometimes it can be a little confusing and even overwhelming. Many times people and agencies use the words interchangeably, and often it really depends on which state you live in. The terms have a similar meaning, to deliver care at home.  The difference, however, is very important as it determines which type of care you will receive.

Each type of care provides the appropriate needs based on the budget and the preferences of the client in which they are looking for.

In order to first compare each service, one must first know the initial definitions of both in order to identify if this service is right for him or her.

Home Health Care Services:

Having home health care services includes the medical services are delivered within a home environment. The overall purpose of the service is to treat any chronic health issues or if one is in need of recovering from an illness, injury or even surgery. There are many reasons as to one would start home health care including declining health, usually due to aging, or even getting diagnosed with a chronic health condition. This usually occurs once one stays within the hospital and needs to transition into at home care. Additionally, one may need home health care services after a stay within a rehab center or other nursing facilities. The overall goal is to recover people in the comfort of their own homes.

 The following services are usually provided when one is receiving home health care services:

  • Nursing, Speech Therapy, Physical therapy, medical social work, help with daily living activities including bathing, dressing, wound care and more.
  • Payment of home health care services usually involves either insurances such as medicare and medicaid, if one is eligible, or is paid privately by the patient and/or their family.

Home Care Services:

Home care services are simply to help one with their daily needs in order to allow them to live a safer and healthier life at home. Home care is often a service provided to the elderly with serious illnesses, those recovering from any surgery or disabled individuals. Some of the most common terms for home care include “companion care”, “personal care” and “homemaker services”.

Tasks for home care services include:

  • Bathing, house cleaning, running errands, grocery shopping, transportation, companionship, medication reminders and more.
  • For this service, many clients pay out of pocket, however there are times where insurances like medicaid or other long-term plans will cover the costs if one is eligible for it.

SImilarities:

As you can see, there are many similarities between the two types of services. This includes:

  • Being cared for in the comfort of your own homes
  • Allowing older adults to feel more independent and stable
  • Assisting with daily living activities such as getting dressed, bathing and grooming
  • Lastly, such services are often cheaper than hospitals or other facilities

Differences:

Some of the differences include the details of the services, eligibility, types of care, care duration, and frequency.

For example,  home health care services are provided by clinical workers which are licensed nurses, while home care are non-clinical and are professional caregivers. Home health care is more medical with a focus on nursing and therapy while home care is more everyday tasks and doesn’t include medical care. For home health there are usually eligibility requirements while for home care there isn’t as they usually pay out of pocket.

Some agencies prove both home health care as well as home care services, depending on one’s needs and preferences. All Heart Home care agency is a one of those service providers that provides both home health care and or home care services, depending on the needs of the client.

With their good work, they have been awarded by many platforms including Crain’s Best Places to work and is a BBB accredited business! With their attention to details, the agency has been able to give their clients the independence and comfort they are looking for.