What is Home Care?
There are two primary home care options: non-medical home care and medical home care. Non-medical home care provides assistance for activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating, and transferring (ex. moving from a bed to a chair). Medical home care provides more intensive care, such as in-home physical therapy, wound care, or medication management.
Everybody needs a little help eventually — but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to leave the house to get it. After all, home is where the heart is (and your favorite chair). Why leave?
If you’re looking for assistance as you age, but don’t feel the need for assisted living or a nursing center, home care or home health — in which a health aide or trained clinician visits you at your house — might be the best option for you.
There are two primary home care options, depending on your specific needs, so pull up your favorite chair and we’ll go through them both together.
Non-medical home care
Just what it sounds like. Non-medical home care can help you with activities of daily living (ADLs) — things like bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring. This option is best if you have no serious ailments and are instead looking for some general assistance around the house.
Non-medical home care can be paid for privately, with eligible long-term care insurance policies, or with certain Medicaid waiver programs.
Non-Medical Home Care
Basic Companionship
Housekeeping
Bathing
Dressing
Transportation
Medical home care
On the other hand, medical home care — more commonly known as home health — includes things like skilled nursing or in-home physical therapy — anything that requires a trained clinician.
Medical home care is best if you need help caring for wounds, administering injections, or monitoring conditions like diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease, or dialysis.
Medicare and private health insurance may cover some of the cost for short-term medical home care. If, however, you need medical home care assistance on a more permanent basis, such as for chronic conditions, you may be required to pay privately or use an eligible long-term care insurance policy.
Medical Home Care
Wound care
Injections
Various health conditions monitoring
Dialysis assistance
Speech therapy
Physical occupational therapy
Respiratory therapy
Choose what's right for you
The choice ultimately comes down to the level of care you require, and the best way to determine what’s right for you is to honestly assess what you need. Perhaps an ADL assessment might be a good next step.
Get care that’s right for you
Whether you want medical or non-medical home care, choose a provider that’s committed to quality. Search the CareScout Quality Network to find a provider near you.
Expert reviewed by
Amir Moore
Amir Moore is the Director of Provider Performance & Network Management at CareScout. In his years at health plans such as Centene, Humana, and United Healthcare, he focused on network development, management, performance, and leading teams to success. He also has expertise in process improve...
Written by
Eric Larson
Eric Larson is a writer and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s worked on commercial campaigns for brands like Google, Amazon Fashion, and Casper, and his independent films have screened at renowned festivals in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and Paris.
