Tips for Finding the Best Home-Based Care Option

There are many reasons behind why it can get confusing when choosing the best home care option for your loved one. Thankfully, we’ve made a go-to guide to help you distinguish between the various options, and which can be covered by Medicare and Medicaid!

The key is to understand your options, and hopefully, prepare not just yourself and your family for choosing the right option for your loved one, but keeping them in mind for when you may need similar care!

Skilled Home Health

This option is funded by Medicare, and includes services such as nursing, physical therapy or occupational or speech therapy in the home. Individuals with this option usually can expect care for up to 60 days, and is usually offered to seniors or in the form of end-of-life care.

Non-Medical Care at Home

If you meet a certain income and and eligibility, you can get assistance with daily living activities like cooking, cleaning, bathing and dressing through Medicaid. Still, most at home, non-medical care needs to be paid for privately or through long-term-care insurance.

Palliative Care

Allow us to explain the difference between palliative and hospice. Palliative care is care for any type of chronic illness, for people of all ages. Hospice is care for individuals who are in the last years of life or in cases of terminal illness. Teams are prepped to focus on the patient’s quality of life, and focus on “comfort care”, which helps them with psychological, social and spiritual issues at any point of life.

Hospice

Hospice is available to patients if two physicians, as required by Medicare, determine that the individual has less than six months to live depending on their illness. Patients do need to be reassessed from time to time to make sure they can continue receiving care. Care includes at-home care, assistance with medications, cooking and cleaning, personal hygiene, and more.

Skilled Nurses

These nurses are able to provide nearly 24/7 care for clients who are in need of professional medical help. Continuous care is the name of the game in such cases. They are an enormous help to patients with families who could not bear to send them to inpatient centers or hospital.