A Home Health Aide Can Also Help The Patient With Personal Care

Home health care is a safe, effective way to help people recover from illnesses or injuries without having to leave their homes. It is often covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance plans.

Typically, people receive home health care after being discharged from a hospital or other medical facility, such as a rehab center or nursing home. Their doctors order home health care services, which are provided by Medicare-approved agencies. The agency will send a skilled nurse and physical, occupational or speech therapists to the patient’s home. They will assess the patient’s needs and develop a plan of care. The plan usually includes a set of goals to help the patient reach their highest level of independence.

A Northeast Ohio Home Health Care can also help the patient with personal care, such as bathing and dressing. Many patients have chronic diseases, such as heart failure, diabetes or HIV/AIDS, that require ongoing monitoring and medical care. These patients may benefit from a home health aide to help manage their medications, treatments and appointments, as well as assist with preparing meals that adhere to their prescribed diets.

If you’re interested in a particular agency, ask your doctor for a referral or search online for “home health care agencies near me.” Make sure the agency is Medicare certified and meets national standards for quality care and management. You can look up an agency’s performance on Medicare’s Home Health Compare website.

In addition to looking for a Medicare-certified agency, Yount suggests asking friends and family for recommendations for an experienced home health care agency. “People’s experiences are invaluable,” she says. “Ask for the names of trusted caregivers and what their experience has been.”

The best home health care agencies will have a strong track record of helping reduce avoidable hospital readmissions, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). That’s because the agency wants to help its patients stay as healthy as possible in their own homes so they don’t need to return to the hospital for the same condition.

You should also be aware of state regulations for licensing requirements. Some states have tougher criteria, such as requiring two administrators rather than one or requiring extensive business and management experience for an agency’s administrator. Some states have easy-to-meet licensing standards that allow new agencies to operate before being inspected.