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Home Health Care vs. Home Care: What’s the difference?

January 13, 2025
Home Health Care Services

While discussing home health care and home care, we may often confuse both of them to be the same, but that is just not true. Home health care and home care services are worlds apart. It focuses on the professional, trained caregivers delivering care and wellness to the elderly, while home care focuses on the family caregivers caring for their elderly loved ones. Both are different, yet they somehow resonate with the same core values about serving the elderly, providing extreme care and love to the patients, and a holistic, positive, and uplifting environment of healing within the comfort of the home. Home care services include family caregivers and aides looking after their elderly loved ones who share physical, mental, emotional, and medical support. 

These family caregivers and aides attend to the individual needs of their elderly family members and tailor care according to the requirements. On the other hand, home health care facilities employ caregivers who render the same services but are medically and professionally skilled. Often, family caregiving becomes emotionally demanding, so terminally ill patients will suitably be assigned to home health caregivers rather than family caregivers because they do not have familial ties with the patient.  

Here are some aspects of home health care and home care. The following factors will help us understand how both differ from each other and which one is best suited for whom. If you live away from home and need to choose an outlet for the holistic care of your elderly loved ones, then knowing the following factors can help you choose the right option.   

Home Health Care vs Home Care

   

Home health care services involve medical services provided by licensed healthcare professionals such as nurses, therapists, wellness managers, and other medical staff. Moreover, home health care services provide an array of facilities that cater to patients’ individualistic medical needs, such as doctor-on-call services.   

Home Health Care Services

 

Nursing Care

  

Home-based care services provide nursing care through the registered nursing caregivers of clients who are trained to offer quality medical care. The services comprise drug administration, wound care, checking of vital signs, and IV therapy. 

Therapy 

 

Home health care services also include physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Most of these facilities provide rehabilitation services through therapy to allow an individual to retain their autonomy and re-enter life fully.   

Remote Monitoring  

Remote monitoring is one of the most important characteristics of home health care services. The caregivers have the healthcare statistics of their patients and provide the same to the family members of their loved ones through remote monitoring.  

Short-Term Solutions  

Home health care is often deemed a short-term solution that is covered by insurance. These services deploy medically trained professionals who impart only the finest care to the elderly for a short period of time. For example, if your senior parent has just had surgery, it is advisable for you to choose a home health care caregiver to provide care and comfort to your parent.   

Goals of Home Health Care Services 

The ultimate aim of home health care facilities is to treat or manage specific medical conditions while maintaining the elderly’s bodily autonomy, independence, and wishes.   

Home Care Services 

Personal Care  

Home care services focus mostly on personal care services. While home health care services also provide personal care, home care services are mostly non-medical. Besides family caregivers, home care caregivers provide complete assistance with daily activities.   

Companionship  

Much like home health care services, home caregivers also offer companionship to the elderly members. Older people are highly susceptible to mental health problems like anxiety and depression resulting from loneliness and alienation; thus, they should have companionship and friendship. As such, home caregivers offer much-needed companionship for their elderly patients. 

Transportation Assistance  

Most home caregivers provide travel assistance to elderly patients. Home caregivers do everything from taking them to doctor’s appointments to helping them complete their daily tasks like shopping. This service is focused on allowing elderly individuals to feel like themselves without losing their independence.   

Long-Term Solutions  

More often than not, home care is a long-term solution catering to the complete and comprehensive care of elderly patients. Individuals requiring round-the-clock care for longer periods should opt for home caregiving. While home caregiving goes beyond family caregivers, the care system focuses on holistic and positive healing.  

Goals of Home Care Services

The primary goal of a home care unit is to impart support for individuals who require assistance in their daily lives, but not extreme medical intervention. If your senior loved one suffers from mobility issues but does not require extensive medical assistance, you can opt for home care services.

Choose What’s Right

In summary, there are no strict rules concerning caregiving, and it’s safe to say that people must choose what fits them right. Often, patients requiring medical attention should receive home health care, while those requiring routine care are perfect candidates for home care services. 

There might not be much difference between these two types of healthcare as far as services are concerned, but they still have differences. Home health care facilities focus more on medical care, whereas home care services are more oriented toward non-medical care. Now that you know the difference between these two types of services, it’s time to choose the right outlet for your elderly family members. 

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