Typically home health care is appropriate when a person can safely stay at home but still needs ongoing care that cannot be provided solely by family and friends. Physicians often order home health care after a hospitalization or period of acute illness or instability, but there are many other instances in which a client could benefit from home health care services.
Decrease in functional ability – Client is falling or having difficulty walking, dressing, bathing or performing other activities of daily living.
Difficulty managing a chronic illness – Client has a chronic illness and does not really understand how to effectively manage their care. This often results in an overall deterioration in their health status.
Medication concerns – Client does not understand how to take their medications correctly or the physician may need frequent monitoring of the client to assess a medication’s effectiveness.
In situations such as these, home health staff members can visit the client at scheduled intervals and:
Services such as these can make the difference in whether or not you or a loved one can remain in the home setting. Remember, home health care is a right. If your doctor fails to mention it as an alternative course of treatment and you feel you would benefit from the service, ask about it.
I’m still unsure whether or not I would qualify for home health. Can you provide examples of typical home health scenarios and explain how the services helped?
An elderly woman is becoming more and more forgetful. Her daughter, who works full time and cannot see her mother but once a week, fears that her mom is no longer taking her medications correctly. The daughter is also noticing that her mom is losing weight, she is sleeping more than usual and her personal hygiene is deteriorating.
Typical home health care response:
Skilled Nursing could be implemented. This would allow a nurse the opportunity to perform such interventions as:
Physical/Occupational Therapy Evaluations could be implemented to identify and address any functional deficits, with the goal of increasing the client’s ability to remain safe and independent in the home setting.
Home Health Aide services could be initiated to assist patient with bathing, dressing and other personal care, until the client demonstrated an ability to safely perform the task independently.
Medical Social Work Evaluation could be ordered to establish which community resources, such as meals on wheels, are available to the client.
Result: With assistance from home health, the client’s medications are successfully managed, her mental and nutritional status improve and she begins to become more active and take better care of herself. Her daughter is taught to fill her mom’s med minder once a week and to identify signs and symptoms of complications that could indicate another deterioration in her status. The medical social worker established meals on wheels and identified a benefit available to the client through a long term care policy she purchased years ago. A referral was made to a private caregiver service and the client now receives 12 hours of sitter services a week. Because home health care was able to identify and coordinate care with all available resources, the client is able to remain safely in her home.
These are just a few scenarios that demonstrate how home health services can have a positive impact on the clients we serve. Please call Renew Home Health. We will discuss your specific situation and provide guidance to you regarding whether home health is a good option for you. If it is, we will obtain your information, verify your home health benefits and request an order from your physician for a home health evaluation.
Once our intake staff has received the physician’s order for home health care, you will be contacted and your home health evaluation visit will be scheduled.
We hope this information has been helpful to you in determining whether or not home health care is the right choice for you. If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call.
If you feel like home health can make difference in your life, please call us. We would love to help.
These are just a few scenarios that demonstrate how home health services can have a positive impact on the clients we serve. Please call Renew Home Health. We will discuss your specific situation and provide guidance to you regarding whether home health is a good option for you. If it is, we will obtain your information, verify your home health benefits and request an order from your physician for a home health evaluation.
Once our intake staff has received the physician’s order for home health care, you will be contacted and your home health evaluation visit will be scheduled.
We hope this information has been helpful to you in determining whether or not home health care is the right choice for you. If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call.
If you feel like home health can make difference in your life, please call us. We would love to help.