10 Frequently Asked Questions About Home Care

Mar 31, 2020 by Staff

 WHAT IS HOME HEALTH CARE?

Home care allows you to get the care you need without leaving home. Services include treating or managing illness, injury or medical condition.

 WHAT IS THE GOAL OF HOME HEALTH CARE?

• Improve your outcome


• Regain your independence


• Become as self-sufficient as possible


• Maintain or improve your current condition or level of function


• Slow any decline in your health status

 WHAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE?

• RN Case Management


• Physical Therapy


• Occupational Therapy


• Speech Therapy


• Home Health Aide


• Remote Patient Monitoring


• Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing

 HOW DO I START SERVICES?

Step 1:
You will need a doctor’s orders to start care. If you don’t have a doctor’s order, we can help you with obtaining orders for home health care.

Step 2: 
Once we get the order from the doctor, the home health agency will schedule an appointment and come to your home to talk to you about your needs and ask you some questions about your health.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING VISITS?

During a visit, home health care staff will:

• Ask about your pain and work to help you manage it


• Ask you about your health and symptoms


• Check your vital signs


• Coordinate your care and communicate with you, your provider and any other care provider


• Help with your medications and teach you and your family more about them


• Provide skilled nursing, therapy and home health aide services, as needed


• Teach you how to safely take care of yourself to remain in your home

WHO PAYS?

Home health care is usually less expensive and as effective as care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility. It may be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, VA, private pay, insurance plans or waiver programs. Our team will work with you to determine your eligibility and level of coverage.

DO I QUALIFY?

After we receive a referral, a skilled clinician will come to your home and determine, based on your insurance, whether you qualify. Some, but not all, insurance requires that you are homebound to receive home care services.

Being homebound means:

• You need help from a person and/or device to leave your home safely


• It takes considerable effort for you to leave your home


• You leave your home infrequently only for short periods of time

WHERE CAN I GET HOME HEALTH CARE?

You can receive services wherever you call home.

HOW OFTEN WILL STAFF VISIT ME?

Based on your needs and insurance coverage, your doctor and home health clinician will determine how often your home health care staff will visit you.

WHAT ISN’T COVERED?

• Home health care staff in the home 24 hours per day


• Cleaning or personal care if these are only care you need


• Household services such as shopping, cleaning and laundry when they are not related to your care plan

FOR MORE INFORMATION

We are happy to answer all of your questions about home health care.

Contact us at 320.759.1273, email homecare@knutenelson.org or visit our webpage.