Home health care, otherwise known as in home medical care, is often a superb choice for those who have an elderly parent or ailing family member who are invalid or require constant assisted living. The care offered with home health care services varies according to the needs of the household. The cost is also varied according to the services which are utilized.
This can be an excellent choice for a wide variety of reasons, including those who want to keep their beloved family members in the comfort and security of the familiar home environment but who also recognize that they have a need for care which cannot be met by the basic family members alone. There are three basic kinds of home health care; each offers a different level of car for the family member patient.
Skilled care is the most advanced type of home health care. This type of HHC refers to actual medical related care provided by nurses and therapists. Usually an order from a doctor is needed to receive these services, but there are ways around that in some cases. The care is most time provided by a registered nurse and the visits are short and occur several times a week or in some cases daily if needed.
There are instances of nurses who are hired privately to perform this type of healthcare, in many cases they actually live in the household so as to provide around the clock care. Most times Medicare or private medical insurance will pay for the cost of the home health care. These payment however are usually only for the short term. They are intended to allow a family member to learn how properly to take care of the needs of the patient. This is of course not always feasible. A lot of times the care has to continue indefinitely at the cost of the family.
The second type of care is Custodial care. This type of care refers to professional assistance to help with activities of daily living. These activities can range from basic things such as bathing, getting dressed, cooking of meals and shopping for food or other needs. Custodial care services are most times provided by home health aides or professionally trained living companions.
While veteran’s benefits and some community aide are available they are most often paid for through private funds. Many times this type of care is live in and some of the cost of care is defrayed by the room and board provided to the companion.
Most times, family members are not prepared or are uncomfortable taking are of the needs of their loved one however, they are at the same time often hesitant to engage the services of someone outside of the family you help with those needs for mistrust or fear of neglect. The truth is that a family caregiver loses about 75% their earning potential. It has also been shown that family caregivers have a greater increasing their own health problems and suffer from more common and significant bought of depression.
No matter what type of home health care that you choose make sure that you are choosing for the right reasons. If your family member does not need the services of a qualified medical provider then do not waste the extra money on that perhaps a custodial companion would be best, however if they do require actual medical assistance make sure that you are providing that level of care.
Home Health care is a controversial and in some cases complicated thing to have to deal with. There are a lot of emotional issues to have to contend with as well when you are making the choices that you have to make. The most valuable thing to consider is what is best for your family member and what is best for you and your household as well.
Jeffrey Zane Lamb enjoys networking with healthcare professionals online. He also likes talking about landau scrubs and cherokee scrubs and also likes writing articles about various topics.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Zane_Lamb