Home Health Care Home Health Therapist

Home Health Care is medical care given in your home after surgery or while you recover from an illness, injury or chronic condition. It is typically covered by Medicare, Medicaid and some private insurance plans.

It can vary from hourly visits to 24-hour care. Choosing the right plan is complex, but with diligence and guidance from experts, a workable solution can be found.

Home Health Aide

Home health aides provide non-medical care and support for elderly patients and individuals with disabilities in homecare settings under the supervision of licensed professional nurses. Their duties include monitoring vital signs, observing symptoms and helping clients with everyday tasks such as bathing and dressing. Home health aides may also assist with medication administration, depending on state regulations and employer policies.

Often, home health aides need to help with mobility by transferring their clients from bed to chair or from wheelchair to bathtub, as well as assist with getting around the house and outside the home on walks. They can also help with grooming, such as shaving or brushing hair and providing skin care. They might also help with feeding, as some clients are no longer able to do it themselves due to physical limitations.

A home health aide needs to be strong and physically fit enough to lift patients, which is why it’s important for them to have training to do so safely. It’s also crucial for them to be observant and pay attention to details such as recording the time of day that a patient takes their medications. They also need to communicate regularly with the client’s doctor or allowed practitioner and other health care providers.

Home Health Nurse

Home health nurses typically have a minimum of an associate degree, usually as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Depending on their specialty, these nurses work for a home health agency that will match them with patients. They can work on a shift basis, visiting one patient's home for several hours at a time, or intermittently, traveling to care for multiple patients throughout the day.

In addition to assisting with activities of daily living, home health nurses provide medical care and treatment, including wound care medicine. They coordinate with doctors and other healthcare professionals to ensure that patients receive the correct medication at the right dosage. They also assess the progress of their home health care patients and keep detailed documentation of each visit.

Working in home health can be a rewarding experience for nurses. It allows them to develop more intimate relationships with their patients and often cultivates a more holistic perspective of their needs, such as the ability to communicate effectively or to overcome mental health challenges. Many seniors need a combination of home health services, such as those offered by a home health aide and the medical care of a home health nurse, to meet their unique needs. This type of care is often covered by long-term care insurance.

Home Health Therapist

Northeast Ohio Home Health Care can save patients and their families money by preventing or delaying the need for hospitalization. In addition, the home health care team is trained to give patients one-on-one attention. Typically, a home health care plan includes nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and social workers, with oversight by the doctor.

Physical therapists in home health can treat patients of all ages who are homebound, which is defined as unable to leave the house without assistance from others or using assistive devices. Home health PTs often work with individuals who have been discharged from the hospital for knee replacements or other orthopedic surgeries to help them get back on their feet. They focus on walking, simple strengthening and range of motion exercises.

Working in home health can be a rewarding experience for therapists. It’s nice to see how your treatment can improve a patient’s quality of life. It’s also nice to have flexible hours so that you can run errands and take care of personal needs during the day. For some, this is a much-needed change of pace from the hectic pace of a busy clinic setting. If you are interested in working in home health, I would recommend getting some experience at an outpatient clinic first.