Home care, home health and hospice might sound like different terms for the same thing, but they’re quite different. In fact, each one refers to a distinct type of senior care that includes a specific set of services.
It can be a little confusing at first, but it’s worth taking the time to learn the difference. By understanding what each of these three types of care has to offer, you can build a robust care plan to support a wide variety of their needs.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is Home Care vs. Home Health vs. Hospice?
Home care, home health and hospice are the three main types of care provided in the home. They’re independent services that work together to provide for different needs that your loved one might have. Depending on their current needs and situation, they might need one, two or all three of them. Home care is often provided in conjunction with home health or hospice.
What is Home Care?
Home care is a form of senior care that focuses on maintaining quality of life and dignity by helping your loved one with practical, everyday tasks like hygiene, dressing, cooking and transportation.
While caregivers don’t perform any medical tasks, they can have a profoundly positive impact on your loved one’s health. By removing barriers to basic needs like food and hygiene (Acts of Daily Living or ADLs), caregivers ensure seniors have what they need to thrive, leading to better health outcomes. Caregivers can also help with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), which are more complex than ADLs. This can include laundry and linens, light housekeeping, meal preparation and clean up, transportation and dementia supervision and redirection.
The exact details of home care vary because seniors’ needs vary. The tasks caregivers perform will depend on your loved one’s needs and preferences. Most good home care agencies will have a nurse or coordinator work with you to build a care plan that works for your family.
Home care doesn’t have a pre-defined duration. In some cases, it can continue indefinitely to meet an ongoing need; in other cases, respite care can offer family caregivers a temporary reprieve so they can focus on other areas of life—or just spend time with their loved one as a family member.
What is Home Health?
Home health care is exactly what it sounds like: Healthcare in the home. Home health nurses visit seniors’ houses to administer medications and monitor their health. It can also include physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy.
Home health care is a form of medical practice designed to treat a specific disease or condition. It requires a physician’s order to initiate, and it has a set duration.
What is Hospice?
Hospice is palliative, or end-of-life care. It aims to make seniors’ remaining time as comfortable and positive as it can be.
If your loved one is receiving hospice care, that doesn’t mean that other forms of care are irrelevant. They may still need additional care from home health, and assistance of a caregiver can free you up to spend time with them as a family.
Frequently Asked Questions About Home Care
Who pays for home care?
Families most often pay for home care out-of-pocket, through long-term care insurance or through the VA (for veterans). Sometimes Medicaid pays for home care, though Medicare does not.
What does home care do?
Caregivers offer support with everyday personal needs like eating, grooming, bathing and mobility. They can also help with more complex tasks like cooking and light cleaning. A reputable home care agency can provide an expert recommendation of the specific tasks and care plan that will be the most impactful for your loved one.
What does home care not do?
Caregivers aren’t legally permitted to engage in medical care of any kind. In most states, they can’t even administer medications. (They can give a reminder for when it’s time to take them, however.)
Caregivers can’t offer physical or occupational therapy. However, they can encourage compliance with PT guidelines and do PT exercises with your loved one.
Where can you receive home care?
Home care happens wherever seniors call home, whether that’s a house, apartment, assisted living, 55+ community, independent living or a skilled nursing facility. Seniors can receive home care pretty much anywhere—in fact, caregivers can provide them with transportation and companionship throughout the day.
Can I change my caregiving schedule?
Absolutely. The schedule is set to fit your and your loved one’s needs, and it can change with them.
If you can, it’s best to allow plenty of lead time to ensure the schedule change goes smoothly and increase the likelihood that your loved one will keep getting the same caregiver.
How long does home care last?
That’s entirely up to you and your loved one. It can be visits of a few hours to 24/7 care—whatever works best for you. It can even include temporary one-time assistance to cover for unusual circumstances.
While some seniors do need 24/7 care, it’s a lot rarer than most people assume. In most cases, round-the-clock help is only necessary while they recover from an injury or illness, for those with advanced dementia who live alone or at end of life.
My loved one is entering hospice care; does that mean I don’t need home care anymore?
Home care works together with hospice, since ongoing daily needs are not met by hospice in the home. Hospice visits are few and short. In general, a CNA may visit 2-3 times a week to provide a shower and an RN may stop by 1-2 times weekly for medication supervision. However, this does not meet ongoing daily care needs.
In a hospice house or facility with dedicated beds, these needs may be met by hospice. Communicate with your home care agency as early as possible, and they’ll help you create a plan that best meets your needs.
Get Help With the Senior Care You Need
Home care, home health and hospice each have a different, but related purpose. Home care offers companionship and help with everyday needs for seniors, while home health focuses on medical care specifically. Hospice is a little different: It focuses on providing warmth and comfort at the end of life. By understanding what each type of care does, you can help your loved one find the help they need.
At FirstLight Home Care of Greater Charlotte, we don’t just provide home care; we use our expertise with local senior care options to make sure your loved one gets all the support they deserve.
If you have any questions about home care, home health or hospice, please contact us to help you determine the best path forward.
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