Demand On The Rise For Home Healthcare
When illness, injury, or age-related health issues strike, home healthcare can provide an effective and less-costly alternative to hospitalization or admission to an assisted living facility.
A positioning statement on the state of the home care industry from the Joint Commission, an independent nonprofit health services oversight group, confirms that care can be provided less expensively in the home, and home care is a key step toward achieving optimal health outcomes for many patients. Also, findings in the statement conclude that home care interventions can improve quality of care and reduce hospitalizations due to chronic conditions or adverse events. As America’s elderly population continues to grow, so does demand for health-related services that can be provided in the comfort of a patient’s home.
Ninety percent of Americans ages 65 and older want to stay at home for as long as possible, and this age group is growing rapidly, reports the Home Care Association of America and the Global Coalition on Aging.
The United States Census Bureau predicts that by 2020, 56 million Americans will be 65 and older; by 2050, that number will reach 84 million. The frail elderly population — those 85 and older — will triple by 2040. And nearly 70 percent of Americans who reach 65 will be unable to care for themselves at some point without assistance.
It’s not just the elderly who can benefit from at-home care. About 5.6 million children in the United States receive at least 5.1 hours of medical care at home, which costs families (including those providing care themselves) a combined total of $36 billion each year.
What Is Home Healthcare?
Home healthcare companies allow people who require extra care no matter what their age to remain in their homes, reducing the burden otherwise shouldered by healthcare facilities, hospitals, assisted living or rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes.
Most home healthcare companies offer a wide range of medical and personal services, including nursing care, physical and occupational therapy, and social work. Medical professionals, therapists, and aides can assist with postoperative care and disease management.
Home health services can be performed by a licensed nurse (registered or licensed practical nurse) on a full-time, part-time, or intermittent basis.
Full- or part-time home health aides do not have a nursing license but are highly trained to help patients with basic activities and needs such as bathing, toileting, dressing, eating, mobility assistance, and companionship. Such services are commonly referred to as home care, as opposed to home healthcare services provided by licensed nurses and medical professionals.
CNAs report to supervising nurses and let physicians know if there are changes in symptoms and whether action needs to be taken,
Without feeling like a hospital, you have effective support in the home.
Our RNs make as many as 22 home visits a week.
Home Healthcare’s Advantages for Patients and Families
Home healthcare can offer patients optimal care in familiar surroundings, while allowing loved ones to work, go to school and live their lives as normal.
Sallie Sarrel, a doctor of physical therapy in Millburn, New Jersey, who is caring for a parent post-stroke, says, “Having someone in the house that is well-trained and keeps my mother safe, clean, and happy so that I can have a break to go to work, work out, and relax is a lifesaver. We are committed to giving my mother the best life possible at home, and a home health professional enables us to do so.”
Carol B. Amos, of Cleveland, Ohio, agrees. “For us, the home care experts became another set of eyes and ears,” says Amos, whose mother lived four hours away when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “They helped us understand how our mother was managing her medications and activities of daily living and updated us regularly.”
How Do You Cover the Cost of Home Healthcare?
The two most common ways to cover the cost for home healthcare are Medicare (for short episodic visits with skilled nursing care) and Medicaid (which has income thresholds, forcing you to spend down your assets in order to qualify).
While most insurance plans do not include home health, you may be covered if you have a long-term care plan. Most large home healthcare companies have insurance experts available who work with clients to find the best solutions to cover their home care needs.
Home care is a valued post–acute care service, available to medically complex and fragile children, adults, and the elderly. It is better-quality care, more cost-effective care, and the most preferred care [compared with] other post–acute care settings.
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