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According to the most recent numbers from Medicare certified home and health agencies, Medicare certified hospices and estimates from non-Medicare in-home care agencies about 12 million people are currently receiving home health care. These people are being helped for numerous conditions, injuries and illnesses such as:
- long-term health conditions
- acute illness,
- permanent disability
- And much more
Of these people, 69 % were age 65 or older and about 64% were women.
Home health care can include services anywhere from 3 hours a day to full time twenty-four hour around the clock care. Caregivers are compassionate, trained professionals who specialize in in-home care for seniors. (This information was taken from the 2010 National Association of Home Care and Hospice Fact Sheet.)
A Cost-Efficient Solution
Typically, in-home health care is much more cost-efficient than staying in a nursing home or hospital. A study by the RAND Corporation for MedPAC confirmed that for patients who have received hip or knee replacement surgery home health is the highest benefit for cost effectiveness. A separate article entitled, “The Ventilator-assisted Individual: Cost Analysis of Institutionalization vs. Rehabilitation and In-home Management,” featured in Chest 101 compared costs of hospital care versus in-home care for adults who are ventilator-dependent. The cost of remaining in the hospital for a month was reported to be over $21,500 while in-home care costs were about $7,000, a savings of over 14,500 a month.
Services Offered
There are a variety of available services for in-home care, the most prominent being personal care and companion care. With personal care caregivers come to the home and help seniors with their activities of daily living which include grooming, bathing, transferring, and other hygiene needs. Often seniors find that they cannot perform these day-to-day tasks on their own and find that they need assistance. When someone needs companion care the home health care professionals provide help with instrumental activities of daily living. The caregivers help seniors with errands, housekeeping, grocery shopping, recreational activities, transportation, and errands. These caregivers can also engage with seniors by going for walks, working on crafts, puzzles or hobbies together, or even going to church or senior center activities.