There are many different types of home health companies. They vary by the types of staff, training, and services offered. This article provides an overview of a home health agency that provides home health care, the unique services they offer, and their qualifications for serving patients in the home setting.
What is a Home Health agency?
The home health agency (HHA) is a community-based, publicly or privately operated health care service that provides healthcare services in the home. Often, such agencies are certified by Medicare to provide skilled nursing and therapy services for specific periods of time.
What are the services offered at the Home Health agency?
A home health agency can provide the following services:
Home health aide
Home health aides are a type of personal care assistant who helps people with their daily activities and can be employed by an agency. They can provide services such as dressing and bathing, feeding, medication reminders, and transportation to medical appointments. In some cases, they also help with light housekeeping and meal preparation. Home health aides work under the supervision of a registered nurse or other licensed medical professionals in a private home or apartment building.
Nursing
A home health agency will employ licensed or registered nurses who have received special training in providing medical care to patients with complex medical needs. Skilled nursing care focuses on monitoring vital signs such as pulse, respiration rate, and temperature; administering medications; providing personal hygiene assistance; dressing wounds, and performing other basic medical tasks. Skilled nursing care may be episodic or sustained depending on the patient’s condition and needs at any given time. They can also provide other services as needed by the home health agency.
Physical therapy
Physical therapists provide rehabilitation therapy for people recovering from surgery, stroke, or other medical conditions that affect mobility, strength, and balance. Physical therapists work with a wide range of clients including athletes recovering from injuries, elderly people who need help regaining their strength after an illness or injury, children with developmental delays. These professionals will provide onsite therapy services through the home health agency.
Occupational therapy
A home health agency will employ occupational therapists that are trained to help people develop and maintain the skills needed for daily living and work. They also help people with disabilities to participate more fully in life’s activities. In addition to treating those with physical disabilities, occupational therapists also treat older adults and children who have developmental delays or other issues that make it hard for them to function independently without assistance.
Speech therapy
Speech therapy is a common type of service provided through an agency. Speech therapists work with people who have trouble speaking or swallowing, as well as those who have difficulty communicating. They might help a person with aphasia, which is the loss of speech due to stroke or trauma, or apraxia, which is the inability to speak in certain situations. Speech therapists can also help those with dysarthria, which describes problems with articulation and pronunciation.
Social workers
Social workers are trained to help patients cope with the stresses of chronic illness, manage their medications, and stay in touch with family members who live far away. They also coordinate other services such as meals-on-wheels and transportation services that help keep people out of nursing homes. They can provide other services that are available within their scope of practice as well as direction of the home health agency.
What are the benefits of a Home Health agency?
A home health agency has many benefits for patients and families. Some of these include:
- Convenience – You do not need to travel to a doctor’s office or hospital to receive care. The agency provides services are provided in your own home, so you can stay where you feel most comfortable. This can be especially helpful if you have mobility issues or live far away from medical facilities.
- Privacy – Your medical records are kept private when they are sent to and from your home health agency. This keeps them safe from prying eyes, such as those of insurance companies and other third parties who may be interested in your information for personal gain or financial gain at your expense.
- Personal Attention – A home health aide from the home health agency will provide one-on-one care for you and your family, which may take the form of basic daily tasks like dressing, bathing and cooking meals as well as providing emotional support during difficult times like dealing with chronic illness or grief over the death of a loved one who was suffering from an illness before passing away.
- Specialized Care – If you have special needs that require specialized equipment or devices such as oxygen tanks or wheelchair ramps on your stairs, then a home health agency can provide these items at little to no extra cost.
What are the factors to consider before choosing a home health agency
When we began our search for a home health agency, we felt overwhelmed. We knew we needed help, but as with any big decision in life, it was hard to know where to start. After doing some research and talking to friends who had used home health care agencies, here are the things we found most important:
- Cost: Before you sign up, ask how much the services will cost if there are out-of-pocket expenses with your insurance provider.
- Experience: Look into their experience with other patients the home health agency has helped in the past. Ask current clients how satisfied they are with their service—and don’t just rely on a single client either; check out other ratings from previous clients.
- Services offered – Some agencies offer only limited services whereas others may have more services to consider.
- Licensing and certification – All states require a license to operate as a home health agency. You can verify this by checking with your state’s department of public health or department of health services. You should also ensure that the agency has certification from Medicare or Medicaid, which means that it meets their standards for quality care.
Conclusion
Ultimately, a Home Health agency is just as its name implies—a healthcare support provider provides services at home. They provide a lot of different services as ordered by the physician including nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and more.
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