Home Care vs Home Health Care: What’s the Difference?
If you feel confused by this, you are NOT alone. In fact, you are in the majority. Many times people say ‘home health’ when they are actually referring to ‘home care’, but these two services are distinctly different from each other. In fact, the only similarity they share is that they both take place inside the person’s home.
To put simply, Home Care provides non-medical services while Home Health Care provides medical services. Let’s talk further and make this clear…
Who needs it?
Home Care - Any elderly person who needs assistance with routine daily activities of living at home or in a facility.
Home Health Care - Any adult with a doctor-approved health order for a skilled, medical need.
What services are offered?
Home Care - This involves a wide range of non-medical help such as: transportation around town, picking up groceries, help around the house, light housekeeping, doing laundry, assistance with bathing, meal preparation, medication reminders, assistance with incontinence, assistance with getting dressed, any many more.
Home Health Care - This involves a list of licensed, medical services such as: skilled nursing, IV treatment, injections, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social work services, wound care, and more. These services you can find in a hospital or clinic setting, but can instead be performed at home with Home Health Care.
Who are the workers?
Home Care - Home Care workers are essentially caregivers. They are trained, compassionate individuals. There is no requirement for them to be licensed or have any medical background or certifications. Some caregivers might be CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants), some might not be. A CNA certification is not required for Home Care. This is a certification that is typically required for Nursing Homes.
The Grandson has the highest percentage of CNA caregivers in the Waco area. We pride ourselves in the highest quality of care you can find, which includes the character of your caregiver, as well as the skills of your caregiver.
Home Health Care - Home Health Care workers are licensed, medical workers. Some common examples are: RNs (Registered Nurses), Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, and Social Workers.
Who pays for the services?
Home Care - Typically, Home Care is paid for out-of-pocket by the client or client’s family. Commercial health insurance does not usually cover Home Care services. However, there are some other payment sources for Senior Home Care. These options are: Long Term Care Insurance, VA Benefits for Veterans, and Worker’s Compensation.
Navigating these 3 less-common ways to pay for Home Care can be challenging and frustrating. We would be happy to discuss the options and even help set things up with your payer source, which is quite a benefit!
Home Care is billed based on service time (hourly rate).
Home Health Care - Home Health Care is primarily paid by Medicare or commercial health insurance. Some Home Health Care providers might have an option to pay with Medicaid or out-of-pocket depending on the company and the client’s situation.
Home Health Care is billed based on the task performed, not service time.
How long do the workers stay?
Home Care - Home Care workers usually stay for extended periods of time and the length can vary greatly. At The Grandson, we serve our clients anywhere from 2-hour shifts to 24-hour shifts per day. Home Care is billed based on an hourly ra
Home Health Care - Home Health Care workers are in a client’s home for a short period of time, typically 30 minutes to 1 hour. They are there to perform a task and then leave.
Final Thoughts
Though these 2 services share confusingly similar names, they are greatly different. However, it is not uncommon for a person to use both services at the same time.
Whether you need Home Care, Home Health Care, or both, we’d be happy to help and guide you in the right direction. Don’t hesitate to give us a call at (254) 242-0772 or Contact Us.
