If you’re choosing healthcare options for yourself or your loved ones, you may have heard about several terms related to care options available to you. Two of the most common terms are “in-home care” and “home health care”. For those new to these terms, they sound similar, right?
The truth is that there are distinctions between these types of in-home caregiving that you should be aware of when choosing one option over the other.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of in-home caregiving, including:
- What is Home Health Care?
- What is In-Home Care?
- Can I Use Both Home Health Care and In-Home Care Together?
- What are the Similarities and Differences between In-Home Care vs. Home Health Care?
What is Home Health Care?
Home health care is skilled care from medical professionals that helps children and adults recover at their home from a serious health issue. Because of this level of care, home health care requires a written order from a physician.
Home health care is typically chosen as an alternative to placing an individual in a hospital or a nursing home, as the level of service is typically less expensive and more convenient.
Typical services of home health care usually include:
- Physical, Speech, and/or Occupational therapy in one’s own home
- Monitoring serious illnesses, developing symptoms, and an unstable health status
- Wound care for surgical wounds and pressure sores
- Pain management
- Injections
- Intravenous (IV) or nutrition therapy
What is In-Home Care?
In-home care is a service that is designed to help older adults and those with disabilities with their daily activities and personal care. The main goal of in-home care is to keep a patient safe and comfortable in their own home for those that may not have immediate health threats, but still experience difficulty in caring for themselves in some capacity. As a non-medical type of care, in-home care does not require a physician’s order.
Typical services of in-home care usually include:
- Help with personal hygiene and grooming, such as toileting, bathing or getting dressed
- Help with mobility, such as getting in and out of the shower or bed
- Meal preparation
- Light housekeeping duties, such as surface cleaning, laundry, washing dishes, and more
- Companionship
- Medication reminders
Can I Use Both Home Health Care and In-Home Care Together?
As you can imagine, home health care and in-home care both have similar but distinct roles. But many older and disabled individuals use both services to fulfill their needs.
The following are some examples of how both types of in-home caregiving are
- An older individual is in recovery from surgery and needs help with daily activities, while also undergoing specialized therapy or nursing-level services to continue rehabilitation.
- A home health care provider can adjust medications based on a person’s requirements, while an in-home care provider helps administer the medication during the assigned times.
- A home health care provider devises a physical therapy regimen to increase mobility in a patient, while the in-home care provider sets aside time each day to exercise and keep them safe.
What are the Similarities and Differences between In-Home Care vs Home Health Care?
The following is a quick rundown of what you can expect from in-home care services versus home health care services:
Help with Daily Activities (including meal prep, hygiene, grooming, toileting, getting out of bed, etc.)
In-Home Care: Yes
Home Health Care: No
Skilled nursing care (including pain management, wound care, injections, IVs, etc.)
In-Home Care: No
Home Health Care: Yes
Changes or Adjustments of Medication
In-Home Care: No
Home Health Care: Yes
Reminders to Take Medication
In-Home Care: Yes
Home Health Care: No
Must Receive Authorization from a Medical Doctor
In-Home Care: No
Home Health Care: Yes
Covered by Medicare (when Prescribed by a Physician)
In-Home Care: No
Home Health Care: Yes
Choose EQC Home Care Agency for In-home Caregiving Services
At EQC Home Care Agency, we offer both in-home health care and home care for adults and children. No matter which challenges you or your loved one may be facing, our certified and licensed staff is here to help those you care about most live independently and safely in their home. Contact us to learn more about our in-home caregiving services today!
