subject: Home Health Care Versus Home Care Assistance [print this page] Home health care and home care assistance are often confused. Both offer care within the home for people who would benefit from such services. These people are usually those who, without home health care or home care assistance, would need to live in a nursing home to be able to function in everyday life. Such individuals typically suffer from chronic diseases or physical disabilities. The main reason why people who suffer from serious health problems choose not to live in nursing homes has to do the with comfort and familiarity that a home environment provides; nursing homes and assisted living facilities can be impersonal. Even though both home health care and home care assistance offer care within the home there are keen differences between the two.
Home health care Lincoln is a type of medical care prescribed by a physician. Most care within the scope of home health care is medical in nature. Home health care includes skilled nursing care. Having certified nursing care within the home is different that unskilled assisted care. Nurses can administer and prepare medications that may not be legal for unregistered caregivers to handle. Nurses can also give medications intravenously. Home health care can also include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and respiratory therapy by skilled healthcare providers. Home health care provides minimal assistance with daily living. Most assistance from home health care is medical.
Lincoln Home care assistance is care at home that is non-medical in nature. Home care assistance is given by caregivers rather than by nurses or other certified healthcare professionals. The primary focus of home care assistance is to provide help with daily living activities. This includes household chores such as cleaning and cooking. Lincoln Caregivers cannot administer medications, although assistance with maintaining medication schedules is allowed (such as giving reminders). Home care assistance caregivers also provide transportation services which is highly convenient.
Methods of payment for each home care are also mostly different. Home care assistance can be paid for privately or via a long term care insurance policy. Home health care can also be paid for privately. Other methods of paying for home health care include Veteran's Insurance Pay, Medicare, Medicaid, and Medigap. Each of these programs has different qualifications.
Overall, the main difference to remember between home health care and home care assistance is the type of care. Home health care provides medical care and home care assistance provides help with everyday activities.
