Older individuals have a number of suitable care options. Since the majority of seniors prefer to age in the comfort of home, in-home care is an ideal choice. Depending on their personal care needs, the elderly can select non-medical home care or home health care.

Non-medical home care and home health care are two distinct forms of senior care. Each has its own unique benefits, while providing different levels of service to the care recipient. Both forms of care also utilize different professional skill sets from the providing caregivers.

The primary difference between non-medical home care and home health care is the nature of care. Home health care is provided by trained, qualified medical professionals. Non-medical home care, on the other hand, is delivered by experienced, professional caregivers without medical skill.

Both non-medical home care and home health care are essential to the physical and emotional well-being of the senior care recipient. Home health care may be more suitable at critical times, such as when an individual is injured. Non-medical home care can be ongoing.

When is home health care ideal?

A senior who is hospitalized for a fracture hip, for instance, will be sent home after surgery to recover. Post-hospitalizations warrant the services of home health care professionals. A registered nurse will tend to the wound until it heals. Physical therapy may be needed, as well.

Since home health care requires a doctor’s authorization, recovering from a hospitalization or surgery makes a senior eligible for home health care. Specific, established criteria for skilled nursing care, physical therapies or social work must be met in order to qualify for home health care.

The recovering senior, for instance, must be home-bound for the duration of care in order to qualify for home health care; this means mobility takes significant effort. If the senior is able to drive, she is likely to be ineligible. A doctor must certify that the individual is home-bound.

What services are included in home health care?

When skilled care, such as checking vital signs, drawing blood and changing wound dressings, becomes a medical necessity in the event of injury or illness, the senior qualifies for home health care. A licensed medical professional will provide treatment, like managing medications and checking blood pressure.

Will Medicare pay for home health care?

Medicare will pay for home health care when certain conditions are met. Covered services include those that are intended to help the injured or ill senior recover. Plus, the individual’s condition should be expected to improve within a reasonable time frame.

Care services for seniors with Medicare Part A and Part B are covered when their doctor creates a care plan and regularly reviews it. Medicare does not cover skilled nursing care that exceeds part-time or intermittent care. Care recipients with Medicare may briefly leave home to receive medical care.

While registered nurses, licensed physicians and qualified social workers are members of a home health care team, non-medical home care is provided by home health aides without medical or social service training. These caregivers provide services to fulfill the care recipient’s non-medical needs.

When is non-medical home care ideal?

Non-medical home care providers can be as essential as home health care workers. Non-medical home caregivers are critical in helping seniors accomplish the activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming, toileting and eating. This type of care is often ongoing.

Rather than come to a stop when healing occurs (as in home health care), non-medical home care may continue for as long as the care recipient desires. Care may be brief, such as in respite care; or, care may extend for several months, such as live-in care.

What services are included in non-medical home care?

Seniors with limited mobility or cognitive decline benefit from the services of a non-medical home care provider. The home health aide provides safe transportation to doctor’s appointments, helps the individual shop for groceries and drops the senior off at senior exercise classes, for instance.

Aside from being a reliable source of transportation, non-medical caregivers are excellent companions. These professional caregivers socialize with seniors to prevent the loneliness and isolation that often accompanies old age. Furthermore, the caregivers stimulate the seniors’ minds with games, puzzles, and conversation.

While agreeable companionship has a positive influence on seniors, consuming nutrient-rich meals is also a necessity for older people. Non-medical caregivers prepare dishes rich in vitamins and minerals to ensure the care recipient receives adequate nutrition and hydration each day.

The home health aides who provide non-medical home care do not possess medical training, nor are they certified in medical care. Rather, qualified home health aides have experience working with and caring for the elderly. Some aides work under the supervision of a registered nurse.

Will Medicare cover non-medical home care?

Non-medical home care is also familiarly known as personal or custodial care. Medicare usually will not cover custodial care or personal care, which includes homemaker services or receiving help with bathing, dressing, and eating—when a senior requires only this type of care.

Many seniors thrive with the in-home support from non-medical caregivers. When your aging loved one could use extra help at home, Assisting Hands Home Care is ready to provide the needed services. Our team of non-medical caregivers are experienced, licensed, insured and trained in elder care.

Assisting Hands Home Care offers a range of comprehensive, non-medical care. We provide post-surgery care, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, hospice care, live-in care, respite care and a multitude of various care services. Our home care services are flexible and accommodate seniors’ varying needs.

Our elder care services begin with an in-home assessment to evaluate your loved one’s care requirements. We develop a customized care plan and update family members regularly. An inspection of the home to evaluate its safety levels is also included.

Families with elderly loved ones living in the surrounding communities of Deerfield, Buffalo Grove and Mundelein, Illinois, are encouraged to call Assisting Hands Home Care at (224) 268-9068 for the most compassionate and reliable non-medical senior care services in the area. We offer a free consultation to get started.