Complete Guide to Home Health Care in Houston

Home Health Care in Houston

Home health care, as the name suggests is providing home care to the elderly or injured. The range of services offered is very broad, and varies for every individual. If you’ve just begun looking for a senior home health care plan for your loved ones, or want to request at home services for an injured or in-recovery patient, this comprehensive guide will be a ready-reckoner for you in finding the best home health care in Houston.

Let’s begin.

What is home health care?

Home health care is for individuals who require assistance in recovering after a surgery or illness from the comfort and privacy of their home.

According to Medicare, “Home health care is a wide range of health care services that can be given in your home for an illness or injury. Home health care is usually less expensive, more convenient, and just as effective as the care you get in a hospital or skilled nursing facility (SNF).”

Some instances of skilled home care services include intravenous or nutrition therapy, patient and caregiver education, wound care for a surgical wound or pressure sores, and monitoring serious illnesses and health issues.

For the elderly, senior home health care services allow them to live safely and independently in their home with professional caregivers. These professionals manage their chronic health issues, provide support in recovering from a medical setback, and help them cope with special needs or a disability.

Depending on the individual’s requirements, professional caregivers (such as therapists, nurses, or aides) provide both short- and long-term home health care. It can also include medical care such as nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.

What does in-home health care do?

In-home healthcare covers a wide range of services. It often delays the need for long-term nursing home care and helps your loved ones live independently for as long as possible by managing their illness or injury.

In-home care may include skilled nursing, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as daily custodial care such as dressing, bathing, and eating. In some cases, it also includes assistance with cooking, cleaning, housekeeping, and overlooking the medication regimen.

But home health care differs from home care services. While in-home nursing care may include some home care services, it is essentially, medical in nature. Our care assistants who provide home health care in Houston are licensed practical nurses, home health aides, or therapists and mostly work for home health care agencies, state public health departments, or hospitals.

 

Alternately, home care services are custodial care services that include non-skilled personal care such as daily living activities of bathing, eating, and dressing.

What services does home health care offer?

Different home care providers offer different services, and the care is tailor-made to the individual needs of your loved ones.

Companion care and companionship

The primary focus of this type of service is to help with everyday activities and household chores to providing more independence and safety to your loved ones. It is sometimes also known as non-medical care, senior care, home health aide services, homemaker care, assistive care, or companionship care.

Services may include:

• Assistance in everyday self-care activities such as bathing, dressing, and using the washroom;
• Ensuring the safety of your loved ones by ambulation, assisting with transfer from bed to a wheelchair, wheelchair to toilet, and fall prevention;
• Help in meal planning and preparation, mild housekeeping, supervising medication, laundry, errands, and escorting the individual to health appointments;
• Supervising individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia; and,
• Giving company to the elderly and recovering individuals by engaging them in activities and hobbies.

Hospice Care

Hospice Care or Private duty nursing care is a long-term, hourly care recommended for adults with a chronic illness, disability, or injury. It is sometimes also known as long-term nursing care, at-home skilled nursing, catastrophic care, nursing care, hourly nursing, ventilator care, shift nursing, tracheotomy care, or adult nursing.

Services may include:

• Administering medication;
• Supervising vital signs;
• Care and recovery from diseases and conditions such as ALS, MS, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Spinal cord injury, etc.;
• Feeding tube care;
• Ventilator care;
• Catheter care;
• Ostomy/gastrostomy care; and,
• Tracheostomy care.

Personal Care Assistants

This is physician-directed, short-term care for helping your loved ones recover from illness, injury, or prevent a hospital stay. Some people also know it as intermittent skilled care, Medicare-certified home health care, or visiting nurse services.

Services may include:

• Physical therapy;
• Speech-language therapy;
• Occupational therapy;
• Short-term nursing services;
• Home health aide services; and,
• Medical social work.

Despite the different types of home health care in Houston, all services share a common goal – to enable more independent and happier living for the people receiving the care, and to offer support and peace of mind to their families. Contact us, we can help determine the kind of care and best home health care in Houston that is the best for you.

What qualifies a person for home health care?

According to the Medicare Learning Network’s pamphlet Medical & Home Health Care, you must meet the following criteria to be eligible for HHC:

• You are under a doctor’s care and are eligible to get services under the care plan established and reviewed by the doctor;

A doctor certifies that you need:

• Intermittent skilled home health care (other than drawing blood)
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech-language pathology services;
• Medicare has approved your home health care; and,
• You’re considered by your doctor to be homebound.

Does Medicare cover home health care?

If you meet the eligibility criteria for home health care, you can receive rehabilitative and skilled nursing care from approved in-home health care service providers. These agencies offer physical, occupational, and speech-language pathology services, medical supplies, equipment, and medical social services at your home.

If you’re enrolled with the Original Medicare, you don’t have to pay anything for home health care. However, you will be responsible for providing 20% of the approved amount for durable medical equipment. The benefits and expenses differ from beneficiary to beneficiary, check your plan to find out the home health care benefits offered and covered by Medicare.

You can also contact your home health care agency about the services that Medicare will pay for. Some agencies recommend services that are not covered by Medicare, and you must be notified in writing about the cost of services before starting in-home and senior home health care.

Another point to be noted here is, Medicare doesn’t cover custodial care. Custodial care is a long-term, non-skilled personal care such as 24-hour care, homemaker services, meal delivery or personal home care unless it’s included with your HHC plan. It also includes ADLs or activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, eating, and regular medication care such as taking insulin. Medicare sometimes pays for these services but the requirements and services offered vary in each state – based on the Home and Community Based Services program of the state.

Agencies that offer custodial services are home care agencies, and shouldn’t be confused with healthcare agencies that offer home health care.

How much does home health care cost per day?

The 2017 Cost of Care Survey by Genworth reports that the national monthly median cost of homemaker services in $4,099, and the median cost of home health care 44 hours every week turns out to be $125 per day, as per Genworth’s calculations. The actual expenses, of course, depending on where your loved ones live, the kind of services you require, and the number of services you request.

According to the National Council for Aging Care, the most expensive states for live-in senior home health care are:

• North Dakota,
• Hawaii,
• Minnesota,
• Alaska,
• Rhode Island

The least expensive states, on the other hand, are:

• Georgia,
• Tennessee,
• North Carolina,
• Mississippi,
• Alabama,
• Arkansas,
• Louisiana, and
• West Virginia.

There are three ways to calculate home health care costs – hourly, daily, and overnight.

Hourly rates are the most common. Elderly who remain independent might not need a caregiver round the clock, so hourly rates are standard and cost-effective in such scenarios.

If your loved ones require care round the clock, go for daily rates. These are calculated on a day-to-day basis with allowances for the caregiver for their break and rest times. These costs vary from region to region and the amount of care you request.

Overnight services are for people who need professional assistance because of degenerative conditions such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s, or they get up several times during the night to go to the toilet. The caregiver’s primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of their client. The overnight rates are not as cost-intensive as daily rates, given the limited hours and activities associated with caregiver’s services. This option is chosen by elders who generally have a family member who acts as a primary caregiver throughout the day.

Choosing the right home health care provider in Houston

The government provides a handy link that offers detailed information on every home health agency certified by Medicare in the US. You can use this to narrow down your options based on your requirement and region.

This handy tool will also help you have peace of mind since you know that the people who’re coming into your house are vetted and investigated. You can also choose between hourly, daily, or overnight rates to ensure that you get the most out of your home health care services. Don’t forget to check references, and if you’re opting for agencies, do a diligent search online and consult others who’ve used their services before.