A hospital or doctor’s office is not the only place where medical care can happen.
For many older adults recovering from an illness, injury, hospitalization, or change in health, home health care for seniors can bring certain skilled healthcare services directly into the home.
That’s different from simply having someone help with meals, housekeeping, or companionship.
Home health care can include skilled nursing and rehabilitation services ordered as part of a patient’s care plan. Medicare’s home health benefit, for example, can cover qualifying intermittent skilled nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and certain other services when eligibility requirements are met.
What Is Home Health Care?
Home health care is healthcare delivered where a person lives.
It can be useful when someone needs professional medical or rehabilitative care but does not necessarily need to remain in a hospital or rehabilitation facility.
Green Mountain describes its Home Health Care division as helping people recovering from illness or injury receive personalized care in familiar surroundings. Its resources also identify physical, occupational and speech therapy among its home health services.
Skilled Nursing at Home
Some patients need nursing care after leaving the hospital.
Depending on the patient’s condition and physician-approved plan of care, skilled nursing services may address needs that require a licensed clinical professional.
Federal home health regulations recognize skilled nursing as one of the professional services that may be delivered through a home health agency.
For families, this can mean having professional support without requiring the patient to travel for every aspect of their recovery.
Physical Therapy
Illness, injury, surgery, or hospitalization can affect a person’s strength and mobility.
Physical therapy may be included in qualifying home health care when a therapist’s skills are medically necessary.
Receiving therapy at home also allows the therapist to see the environment in which the patient actually moves every day.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy focuses on a person’s ability to complete daily activities.
For an older adult, that might include working toward greater independence with ordinary activities in the home.
Green Mountain lists occupational therapy as part of its home health resources, while Medicare recognizes qualifying occupational therapy under its home health benefit.
Speech-Language Therapy
Speech-language pathology can address certain communication and swallowing-related needs when clinically appropriate.
It is another skilled therapy recognized under Medicare’s qualifying home health benefit.
Home Health Care Is Not the Same as Personal Assistance
This distinction is important.
Someone who primarily needs help bathing, dressing, preparing meals, or completing ordinary daily activities may need personal assistance rather than skilled home health care.
Green Mountain separates these into different divisions. Its Personal Assistance Services division addresses tasks such as bathing, dressing and meal preparation, while its Home Health Care division focuses on recovery and healthcare delivered at home.
That distinction can help families choose the right level of support.
When Should a Family Ask About Home Health Care?
Consider discussing home health options with the patient’s physician when an older adult:
- Has recently been hospitalized
- Is recovering from an illness or injury
- Needs skilled nursing at home
- Has new rehabilitation needs
- Is having difficulty traveling for therapy
- Needs continued clinical support during recovery
Whether someone qualifies for a particular service depends on their individual medical needs and coverage requirements.
Home Health Care in El Paso
Green Mountain Healthcare Services provides Home Health Care as one of its dedicated healthcare divisions serving El Paso.
For families comparing care after a hospitalization, injury, or illness, the right question may not simply be:
“Does Mom need help?”
It may be:
“What kind of help does she need?”
Understanding the difference between skilled home health care, personal assistance, palliative care and hospice can make that decision considerably easier.
Green Mountain Healthcare Services is located at 2311 N Mesa St STE H, El Paso, TX 79902, and can be reached at 915-500-4883.
