How Home Health Care Agencies for the Elderly Work
As people age there is a greater need for care for these individuals that requires a concerted medical effort. Many elderly people require both more intrusive medical care from doctors and nurses, as well as assistance providing the basic daily health care habits that are necessary for their continued well-being. While the former will primarily need to be performed by those who are trained doctors and nurses, the latter are performed primarily by home health care aides who work inside your home in an easy and practical way.
How Do You Go About Getting a Home Health Aide?
People who are in need of a home health care provider are typically recommended one by their doctor or as a part of a rehabilitation plan after a hospital visit. Doctors and hospitals have lists of various home health care providers. Typically, home health care providers and medical transportation services such as air ambulance services are paid through the Medicare or Medicaid program that they qualify for, although private insurance and self-pay options also exist.
What Services Are Provided by Home Health Care Aides?
Home healthcare agencies will come into your home and provide some basic services, depending on the needs of the patient. Some patients need help bathing, meal preparation, eating and groceries, and in monitoring their medication intake. Others need more or less care, depending on the circumstances. Further, some patients need help for only a few hours a week while others need constant 24-hour care. A nurse will evaluate each patient and assigns a time regime to each patient based on their needs.
How Does the Process of Receiving Home Health Care Services Work?
When you enter into an agreement to have a home health aide visit, your care begins with an initial nurse assessment who will recommend a course of action including the level of care needed and regularity of the meetings. A home health care work, or workers, will be assigned to your care and will visit and stay in your home during the time needed. Typically, these home health care workers will need to call in when they visit your home from your phone number to pre that they are on duty, and call out when they leave your home.
Each visit will involve you signing a form indicating that some basic services were provided, if you are able to do so with your current health condition. Regular scheduled assessments by nurses are performed both to reevaluate the care plan and to monitor progress within this plan. If you qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, payment of these balances are handled directly between these agencies and the payers.
Overall, home health care services perform a needed service for those in need of basic medical care. Children and other loved ones can go about their daily lives and responsibilities and alleviate many of the concerns that they have for their elderly loved ones and patients can receive the care that they need from convenience of their home.