What is Home Care?

Home care is a support service that helps a person remain safely in their home while dealing with health-related issues. There are various types of home care services that can be provided depending on the person’s needs.

Some types of home care services include:

Home Health Care

Home Health Care can be provided short-term or long-term by trained medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers and aides. This type of care requires a doctor’s written order to cover the services by insurance.

• Short-term home care is for someone recovering from surgery, has had a sudden event such as a stroke, or is newly diagnosed with a chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease or hypertension. Home Care can be provided anywhere from a few days to a few months. The main goal is to help the patient regain independence and become knowledgeable about their diagnosis and medications. Services may include skilled nursing visits, physical, occupational, speech therapy or home health aide services (HHA). Short-term home care is provided through a Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA), such as MJHS Home Care. Once a patient gets on service with a CHHA, they become responsible for coordinating and carrying out the patient’s care plan. This type of home care service is covered by Medicare, provided the patient meets the eligibility criteria established by Medicare.
• Long-term home care is provided to patients with chronic or progressive illnesses such as Parkinson’s or dementia who require a personal care worker (PCW) to assist with carrying out activities of daily living which may include eating, bathing, dressing and ambulating safely. It aims to help the patient preserve their quality of life and remain in the comfort of their home. Most often, patients require a managed long-term care health plan (MLTCP) such as HomeFirst to receive ongoing care in the home.

Homemaker Services

Homemaker (or companion care) services are for those who live independently and do not need assistance with activities of daily living but could benefit from social support. Those needing this type of care often live alone and feel isolated in their day-to-day lives. Companion services can help with general household chores such as housekeeping, laundry, shopping for groceries and preparation of meals. Homemaker services are not covered by Medicare but may be covered through a Medicaid Waiver program.

Getting the Right Care

Your doctor should be your trusted source and be able to recommend the appropriate type of home care that is best for you.

At MJHS, we value both personal and professional caregivers and recognize the critical work you do. That is why we have created these online caregiving resources to help you through this crucial time in your life.

If you need additional help and support caring for your loved one, please feel free to contact MJHS. We can recommend other care options available to you through one of our programs.