Injury or sickness are difficult hurdles for many people to overcome, so some turn to home care to help ease the burden they endure. However, as you research you may come across a few different terms that can confuse you a little.
There is home care, also known as skilled care, and non medical care, also known as private duty care. Are these two different? The simple answer is yes. As to why that is, this article will be giving a rundown on what each specializes in and how they differ overall from one another.
Home or skilled care is the care that is provided by a R.N., L.P.N. or by therapy, Physical, Occupational and Speech. This care is usually more acute, such as right after a surgery, fall, or illness and is typically paid for by Medicare and Insurance. It generally lasts from just the first two visits to the entirety of a contract, which it 60 days.
In rare cases, the home care specialist may be needed for longer than 60 days and so long as their MD approves it, the contract can be extended. The specialist is on call 24/7 in case of emergency or if the patient simply needs help remembering what to take when. This care is short term because the situations involved are generally not qualified for extended service. Rehabilitation, prescription monitoring, injury prevention, all these and more make up what a home care provider can offer for a patient.
Non medical or private duty care is more of a long term care. It can still be provided by a nurse, but most often by Home Health Aides and Home Service workers. A nurse may do this care to set up medications weekly for someone that is unable to, or to perform a venipuncture if someone can not get out to a lab or doctors office. These visits are not typically paid for by insurance or Medicare when that is the only service needed.
This type of care is usually provided for 4-24 hours a day, when a person needs help with activities of everyday life to remain safely in their own home. Care givers always undergo a background check and should they come under the weather, there is always a backup just in case. Your safety and comfort is of the utmost concern. Visits can be cancelled at any time so long as there is a 24 hour notice beforehand, and contracts are not binding. This means changes can be made to your care as you see fit over the contracts duration; you aren't locked into what is intitially stated.
Hopefully you see the differences by now, but even if you are still on the fence about it, should there come a time in the future that it's required, try it out for yourself. You can see the difference first hand and experience home or non medical care from the professionals. Save yourself the time and even the money and go with the most comfortable choice.