How Are Home Health Care and Home Care Different?

As seniors start to have trouble with certain tasks, family caregivers may find it overwhelming to get the right help in place. There are so many different options available for care, and some of the names are similar to each other. Understanding the difference between services like home health care and home care services is the key to ensuring seniors have the right type of help for their situation.

What Are These Services?

Home Care Fair Lawn NJ - How Are Home Health Care and Home Care Different?

Home Care Fair Lawn NJ – How Are Home Health Care and Home Care Different?

Home care focuses on providing non-medical support to seniors in their own homes. The type of help that elder care providers offer includes help with household tasks like cleaning, personal care tasks like grooming and bathing, and help with mobility. There are lots of other ways that home care helps as well. Home health care on the other hand is medical assistance provided by licensed nurses. These care providers work with doctors and other healthcare specialists to assist with issues like wound care, administering medications, or helping coordinate physical therapy.

Both Offer Support

At first glance, both of these types of services offer seniors and family caregivers a great deal of support. Each of these professional groups wants the best for the seniors in their care, but they operate in different areas of life. Professional caregivers in each type of care offer emotional support and form strong relationships with seniors and the family members that they meet.

Key Differences

The differences between home care and home health care are very distinct, however. Home health care is often a temporary type of care for seniors who are homebound and need medical care for a specific issue. Home care providers offer highly customized levels of care that vary depending on what seniors need most. Seniors may start out needing mostly companionship, for instance. Over time, as their needs change, they may need elderly care providers to assist with mobility and transportation or help them eat their meals.

When Is Home Health Care Right?

Home health care is the right choice when seniors need specific therapies or medical attention and they have difficulty leaving home to get that medical care. Sometimes doctors may prescribe home health care if they don’t want their patients to leave their homes unless it’s necessary. Often seniors recover and home health care isn’t necessary any longer. If they need help with regular daily tasks, though, home care could be the right choice afterward.

When Is Home Care Right?

Home care is the perfect solution when seniors need companionship or when assistance with daily tasks is the main concern. Professional caregivers can help families pay attention to safety needs, offer supervision when necessary, and offer peace of mind to seniors and the family members who love them.

These two types of care offer very specific assistance to aging adults depending on what is going on in that particular senior’s life. If medical attention isn’t the main need, then home care services are the way to go. There could be situations when seniors need both types of care, but every senior’s needs and conditions are unique.

If you or a senior family member are considering hiring Home Care Services in Fair Lawn NJ, please get in touch with the caring staff at Caring Solutions Home Care LLC.

Providing in-home senior care, servicing Bergen & Passaic Counties. Call today at (973) 427-3553.

Pamela DelColle, RN, CCRN