Archive for January, 2011
Home Health Care vs Assisted Living
Home Health Care in Los Angeles
Home health care is health care that is provided to patients inside their home, and usually by either health care professionals or family and friends. The term “home care” suggests that the care provided is non-medical and more of a custodial nature, whereas “home health care” may suggest licensed staff members. The differences here are similar to the differences between assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Much like assisted living facilities, home health care lets seniors enjoy a good measure of independence. An elderly individual or couple will appreciate having privacy as well as assistance in daily living needs.
What Home Health Care Provides
What kind of services does home health care provide? Home health care may help seniors with daily living needs such as bathing, dressing, house keeping and cooking and dining preparation. Depending on the needs of the resident, there may be special provisions such as transportation services and errands, volunteer programs, exercise and walking, and toileting assistance. More extensive forms of home health care would also provide rehabilitation programs, including visits from physical therapists and nurses. Other qualified home health care professionals may include respiratory nurses, occupational nurses, social workers, mental health workers and physicians.
Who pays for home health care? This type of outside assisted living program can be paid by private resources from the resident or family, by public payers such as Medicare and Medicaid or by employer-sponsored health insurance plans. Medicare will usually not pay for home health care on a long term basis while Medicaid is more likely to help low-income families with little or no assets. Employer-sponsored home health care is likely to be on a short term basis unless the insurance plan is very generous. Most of the time home health care will be paid for by a family’s own resources.
Tags: assisted living facilities, health care professionals, home health care, low income families, mental health workers, occupational nurses, private resources, rehabilitation programs, respiratory nurses, volunteer programsRelated posts
Home Health Care – What You Need to Know If You Have an Aging Parent
As baby boomers continue to age, the influx of aging adults 55 years and older into our society is expected to put a financial strain on our state. Those suffering from Alzheimer’s in San Diego alone are expected to nearly double by 2030. This projection by the California Alzheimer’s Association means that these next 20 years will be a time of great trials for our medical and health care institutions. Alzheimer’s and Dementia are among the most widely spread diseases that rob our aging adults of their independence in a time when their health is most fragile and care is most important. Although researchers of these diseases find themselves hopeful for future treatment and possible reversal of the disease, it is fair to say that until a significant discovery is made, the future looks grim for adult care in California. Most families who would otherwise turn to a nursing home for the care of their aging parents will turn to their families and hourly in home care to watch over their older family members when they cannot.
According to a University of California San Francisco’s Institute for Health and Aging study, it currently costs nearly $97,000 annually for a patient living in a nursing home. This number is expected to grow significantly with the rise in health care cost due to the rising number California’s elderly and our state budget cuts. Many people do not make this amount of income in 1 year, and with the high cost of living in San Diego, it is expected that the future of adult care in San Diego lies with in-home care with the recipient’s family members.
Tags: adult care, aging family, aging parents, baby boomers, california san francisco, health care institutions, home health care, member of the family, state budget, university of california san franciscoRelated posts