Various individuals may, at times during the course of their life, fall ill, be hospitalized or suffer an injury. Regardless of their age, individuals will benefit from additional support at home. Extra help at home aids all walks of life, from senior citizens to individuals with a disability and to those who are healing from an injury.
Additional support at home is known as home care. In-home care services are provided by a licensed home care facility. A home care aide is assigned to provide compassionate assistance to the individual in his or her care. Support can vary between non-medical home care and home health care. Oftentimes, people requiring an extra hand at home transition between both non-medical home care and home health care. The type of service needed varies based on the requirements of the individual at any given time.
What is the difference between non-medical home health care and home health care? Non-medical home care refers to support at home that does not involve medical skill; services include light housekeeping, running errands or offering pleasant companionship. On the other hand, home healthcare is offered by a medically trained professional, like a nurse or similar healthcare provider; services include providing injections, dressing wounds or giving IV infusions—all performed in the comfort of the client’s home.
Non-Medical Home Health Care
An 85-year-old whose physical or cognitive condition prevents him from regularly shopping for groceries, cooking daily meals or maintaining his home is a likely candidate for non-medical home health care. Or, if an elderly individual has difficulty keeping up with routine practices, like bathing, dressing and toileting, a non-medical caregiver is skilled in providing support to help the individual accomplish these tasks right at home. A senior care provider can step in and offer transportation to the post office, exercise classes and weekly trips to the grocery store. Elder care aides also can engage in light housekeeping and prepare meals. In-home care service providers make life easier for the individual in their care as well as for the loved one’s families.
The path of non-medical home health care is ideally pursued when family members of the senior are unable to provide constant care due to the demands of work, taking care of their children or other responsibilities. A non-medical home health care provider will consult and work with the family of the senior to develop the most effective home care plan that best meets the needs of the elderly individual.
Home Health Care
Home health care meets the needs of individuals requiring medical assistance at home—and home health care is prescribed by an attending doctor. A registered nurse, certified nurse’s assistant, or doctor administers medical remedies, like catheter care and injections, at an individual’s home.
When an 80-year-old returns home from the hospital after a hip replacement surgery, she requires the assistance of a home health care professional to recoup at her personal residence. A nurse, for example, working with a home health care team, administers medications and injections, in order to facilitate the treatment according to the attending doctor’s treatment plan. A member of the home healthcare team will also participate in pain management and physical therapy to ensure the full recovery of the senior in her own household.
Home health care is crucial to the senior’s treatment if he or she prefers to recoup in the comforts of his or her home. Family members are likely to be unaware of medical procedures, like wound dressing or monitoring vital signs, which would help the patient heal. Instances like these necessitate a skilled home health care provider, one who is experienced in providing optimum, professional medical care at the client’s home.
A Common Overlap of Services
Many busy families choose to overlap both non-medical home health care and home healthcare. When a senior is discharged from the hospital, after a surgery, for instance, in order to recoup at home, a non-medical home health care aide can provide help with light household chores and meal preparation, while the home health care professional administers medications and provides support with rehabilitation. The combination of both non-medical home health care and home healthcare can be staggered to meet the needs of the senior.
When families are overwhelmed with their own responsibilities as well as those of caring for an aging loved one, elderly care services are invaluable, providing much-needed relief and constant care. Home care can be extremely flexible, ranging from available short-term non-medical home health care, such as a few days a week, to long-term home health care, where a professional is dedicated to providing care over the course of several months.
Home Care Assistance
Families can turn to Assisting Hands Home Care when an aging loved one, an individual with a disability, an expecting mother, a senior recently discharged from the hospital or other individual who would benefit from additional help, requires extra support at home. Family caregivers who are too overwhelmed with the responsibility of continuous care find relief in non-medical home care providers, like Assisting Hands Home Care.
Non-medical home health care providers, such as Assisting Hands Home Care, send qualified senior care aides to your home. Care can be around the clock, 24 hours a day, or intermittent, depending on the need. Services provided include most non-medical care, such as meal preparation, medication reminders, bathing and toileting, dressing and general cleaning. If an aging loved one needs a certain level of companionship, our Assisting Hands Home Care aides build personal relationships with our clients, offering pleasant conversation and social interactions to keep the seniors in our care alert and engaged.
Stimulating board games and accompanying seniors on walks are just an additional variety of non-medical home health services Assisting Hands provide to ensure individuals stay attentive and lead comfortable lives.
Get a Free Consulation
Give us a call at (954) 859-2271 to schedule a free consultation to discuss our home care services in Broward County, FL.
