The thought of leaving your home and living in an unfamiliar, public setting like hospitals can be distressing for many. If given the chance, most senior citizens and sickly patients prefer to recover in the comforts of their own living space, where they can recuperate without losing their sense of independence.
That’s why modern healthcare services are providing home-based patient care so people have the option to access quality and personalized medical attention in a setting where they can still thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally. In that regard, there are two popular options: home health and hospice. Most would interchange the two, but there are distinct differences that are tailored to each individual’s needs.
What is Home Health Care?
One of the most common health care services for the elderly involves a multi-talented team of nurses, aides, and therapists to help patients recover from an illness, injury, or chronic condition. They are short-term medical services that focus on rehabilitation, so their responsibilities would include the following:
- Wound care for pressure sores or surgical wounds
- Patient and caregiver education
- Intravenous or nutrition therapy
- Injections
- Monitoring of serious illness and unstable health status
- Physical rehabilitation
- Speech therapy
- Dietary assistance
- Monitoring of blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and breathing
- Supervising of prescription and other drugs
- Pain management
- Safety management in the home
- Education about self-care
- Care coordination and communication
Home health care highlights the importance of helping patients get back on their feet and restore their independence, allowing them to come out of the program as self-sufficien individuals who can embrace a healthier lifestyle.
What is Hospice?
Many patients battle with terminal illnesses that have put a deadline on their lives. It’s a difficult situation to accept, that’s why hospice focuses on providing the best care right in their doorsteps so they can live their final moments to the fullest surrounded by the support and love of their family and friends.
Some of the important tasks involved in hospice care are the following:
- Skilled nursing
- Help with personal care from a home health aide
- Medical social work to help with planning, insurance, advance directives, and other concerns
- Bereavement counseling for loved ones
- Spiritual counseling with a chaplain
- Trained volunteers to provide companionship
For those with only six months to live, particularly patients in the end-stage of their illness such as cancer, hospice care is the best option as it involves clinical, social, emotional, and spiritual support.
The Bottom Line: Understanding Different Home Care Services that are Tailored to Your Unique Needs
Home health and hospice care are highly distinct medical services, but both strive to help patients lead their best life possible. Of course, knowing the difference between the two should help you choose the ideal program that best fits your senior family members.
What Can We Do to Enhance Your Health?
Your elderly loved ones deserve to live the rest of their lives in comfort, that’s why our professional clinicians are committed to providing quality home-based patient care so they can stay on track with their daily needs in the safety of their personal space. Get in touch with our highly trained clinicians and therapists today at (800) 476-0043!
