For many senior citizens, living independently requires a little more support. It is a care service that allows a person with special needs to stay at home and receive professional help daily. You can say that it is a Personal Care Assistance Services for older adults with chronic illnesses, recovering from surgery, or have a disability. These elderly people may benefit from one or more types of these home care services. This article will discuss home care and its different types in detail. 

Home care includes any professional support service that allows a person to live safely in their home while benefiting from medical assistance and daily assistance. A health care professional comes directly to the patient’s home to provide healthcare services. Home care services include the following:

• Helping with daily chores like making meals, dressing, and bathing.
• Help in the safe management of household chores.
• Household chores, such as cleaning, housekeeping, laundry, etc.
• Cook for the patient or deliver food.
• Support and support.
• Treatment and recovery assistance.
• Short and long-term nursing care for any chronic illness, disease, or disability.

There are two main types of home care:

• Medical Homecare services.
• Non-medical home care services.

Moreover, each of these two has particular types.

1. Medical Homecare Services

Medical home care is provided by licensed health professionals. It is generally short-lived. Patients receive medical services for a few hours, two days a week for several weeks or months, depending on the patient’s condition. In addition, home health services have these types:

2. Nursing Care Services

Registered nurses provide home visits to patients of all ages. Their services include specialist assessment, planning, monitoring, treatment, symptom management, and assessment in collaboration with the patient’s physician and other members of the care team. 

Once a doctor has designed and approved a treatment plan, the nurse looks after the needs of her patients from the comfort of her own home. Nurses are certified to deliver dressings, ostomy care, therapy, medication, pain management, and other types of health care support. 

They also oversee the development of a person’s care plan and staff assigned to various functions in the home and make recommendations for changes to the plan. Professionals who provide home nursing care are registered nurses, also known as “RNs” or licensed practical nurses, also known as “LPNs”.

Specific duties of registered nurses;

• Care for diseases and conditions such as head trauma, spinal cord injuries, etc.
• Maintenance and operations of fans.
• Tracheostomy care.
• Monitoring and evaluation of vital signs.

1. Physiotherapy, Speech, and Occupational Therapy Services

Due to aging, wound, or illness, some patients need extra help to relearn certain motor skills. Speech and range of motion disorders can benefit from different types of specialized therapies.

Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists offer a diverse range of services, particularly after illness or surgery, to promote a safer environment for the patients. 

A physiotherapist can make plans of care to help the patient recover and strengthen the use of muscles and joints. With these treatments, patients can see an improvement in their quality of life and regain the ability to perform certain daily tasks.

2. Social Medical Assistance

In some cases, a patient’s well-being is managed by a social worker. These medical social service providers offer an array of health-related services to the patient, including counseling to help the patients recover.

Whether a patient needs advice or help to obtain certain benefits and resources, your Social Services Case Manager can help. In particular, the help of a social worker at home is useful when the state of health of your loved one requires intensive care and the coordination of many specialized professionals.

3. Nutrition Counseling Care

Certified dietitian evaluates and plans a patient’s nutritional needs, from simple diet planning to intricate therapeutic and more specific diets. They control whether enteral/parenteral feeding so that the patients with stomach dysfunction meet nutritional requirements.

Plus, nutritionists can visit the patient’s home to provide dietary evaluations and advice in support of the patient management plan.

4. Laboratory Assistance Services

Few lab tests, for instance, blood tests and urine tests, and others can be done in the ease of the patient’s home, so the patient does not have to travel to the hospital.

These services include “IV starts” and restarts, peripheral care, instruction of clients and caregivers, and handling of all types of pumps for hydration, overeating, and administration of drugs such as antibiotics, chemotherapy, and pain management.

Collection of samples, etc. Blood tests, blood tests, and laboratory tests, including cultures and urine tests.

5. Non-Medical Home Care Services

These services are non-medical services that assist patients with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, helping with walking, or getting around to and from a wheelchair and a companion.

These convenient services can be provided by a licensed practical nurse supervised by a nurse or personal care service provider.

These are some of the services provided by non-medical home care service providers:

6. Personal Care Service Providers

Licensed practical nurses help people with activities of daily living and provide personal care. Some older adults require help with daily tasks such as dressing, bathing, and eating. Homecare service providers can also assist older adults to manage their medications supplies.

Personal care service providers help keep the home safe by assisting with walking, moving from bed to wheelchair, from wheelchair to toilet, etc. They also help with personal care, such as grooming, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, and preventing falls for the elderly.

7. Companionship Homecare 

For many senior citizens, living at home can be isolated, especially after the death of a spouse. Caring for a companion can provide much-needed emotional support. Patients who are home alone may need a companion for comfort and supervision. Some companions can also do the housework.

8. Transportation Service

One of the biggest concerns of elderly patients is their inability to come and return for exams and doctor’s appointments. Transportation services provide transport for patients who need to be transported to and from a medical facility for treatment or examinations.

9. Helping With Household Chores

Even older people who are mostly self-employed can benefit from some help with household chores, which is another service provided by out-of-home doctors. Service providers help with meal planning and preparation, cleaning, laundry, medication reminders, and support patients with many other household chores.

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