Home Health Care: A Popular Choise For Elder Care

Simple tasks such as housekeeping, shopping, meal preparation, opening a jar, or driving to appointments can become increasingly difficult for many older patients. Personal tasks such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and even transferring from the bed to chair can become unmanageable and painful alone.

Many types of individuals, including those who are trained and supervised by agencies, provide such services. In general, home care providers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they may work by themselves or as a team on a shift, part-time, hourly, live-in, or on as per needed basis.

While some home healthcare Towson agencies provide health-oriented services, it is important to know the difference between non-medical home care and home health care. Home health care is more specialized medical care, such as that services provided by nurses or physical and respiratory therapists.

The health care providers are trained medical,

health care and psychiatric professionals, or certified nurses’ aides. Home health services are usually ordered by a physician and may be covered by health insurance. The types of services available for seniors at living at home

• Homemaker services- this include help with cooking, light cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and other household chores.

• Personal care- Help assisting with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, toilet use, grooming and eating.

• Companionship- from daily phone calls from a buddy to a daily friendly visitor to round the clock paid companions.

• Home health care- this includes skilled care that is nursing, speech, occupational respiratory and physical therapy, home health aides, social work or psychiatric care.

Once you’ve hired a capable provider, it may happen that a problem arise, so in this case discuss it with the care provider first. If the problem does not resolve matters then talk to the agency; if you’ve hired the provider through this route. If it is independent and you cannot resolve the problem after repeated discussions, you may need to find a new provider.

If you suspect some kind of fraud or other criminal behavior then report it to your state’s Department of Health and the Better Business Bureau. Remember to read contracts carefully, check all references, and consult with someone you trust before finalizing and signing on the dotted line.