What is home health?

Home health care is ordered by your physician and brings nursing staff right to your home. An important aspect of this care includes teaching you—or those who help care for you—how to continue the necessary care while recovering from your hospital stay. Instruction may include wound care and managing medications; however, there are many other reasons home care may be ordered.

Requirements for home care:

A physician must order your home care
Your care must require the needs of a nurse or physical therapy professional.
You must be homebound, meaning you are unable to leave your home unassisted, unless it is to receive medical attention.

Home care provides a number of advantages for the patient:

Keeps families together
Helps keep the elderly independent
Prevents or postpones institutionalization
Promotes healing
Allows a maximum amount of freedom for the individual
Improves the quality of life
Is less expensive than other forms of care

Important Considerations

If you are just beginning to consider home health as an option for you or a loved one, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the resources in your community. Ask friends, family, Area Agency on Aging staff, your physician, or social worker for references.

Coffey Health System wants you to know that deciding on home care may seem like an overwhelming task, but understanding home health care will help in making decisions about the care best suited for your and/or your family.

When considering home health, we recommend that you make sure the agency:

is Medicare certified;
offers the specific health care services needed;
offers the personal care services needed;
has staff available to provide the type and hours of care the doctor has ordered and can start immediately;
has staff available 24 hours a day for emergencies, and
can explain what insurance will cover and what must be paid out-of-pocket.

Most importantly, discuss your needs with your doctor or social worker before making a decision about your healthcare needs.

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Coffey Health System