A lot of people think home health and home care are the same thing, but they serve very different needs.
Some people also confuse the two and aren’t sure which type of care their loved one actually needs. Choosing the wrong option could mean they aren’t getting the right level of support.
So, what is the difference between home health and home care, and which one does your loved one need? Let’s break it down.
Explore our Choosing the Right Caregiver playlist for more advice about navigating home care decisions.
What Is Home Care?
Home care is non-medical care provided in your loved one’s home.
This is what you would commonly think of when you picture a caregiver helping someone with their day-to-day needs.
Home care can include help with:
- Dressing
- Grooming
- Bathing
- Light housekeeping
- Laundry
- Cleaning up after meals
- Companionship
These are the everyday activities that help keep your loved one comfortable and safe at home.
Home care does not provide the same skilled medical services as nurses, physical therapists, or other licensed medical professionals.
The schedule can also be very flexible and adapted around your needs. Maybe you need someone for a few hours while you go to work or run errands. Or your loved one may need support throughout the day or around the clock.
The goal is to have someone there to support your loved one when you aren’t physically able to provide that care yourself.
What Is Home Health?
Home health care is skilled medical care performed in the home.
These services are provided by licensed medical professionals such as:
- Nurses
- Physical therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Speech therapists
Home health may include services such as wound dressing changes, physical rehabilitation, IV infusions, PEG tube care, ostomy care, and other treatments that require skilled medical support.
Like home care, these services take place in your loved one’s home. The difference is that home health is medical or rehabilitative in nature.
What Is the Difference Between Home Health and Home Care?
The easiest way to think about the difference is:
Home care helps with everyday living. Home health provides skilled medical care.
Home care can be short-term or long-term depending on what your family needs. It can generally be arranged without a doctor’s referral and is non-medical in nature.
Home health is medically focused. It typically needs to be ordered by a doctor, and services are performed by licensed medical professionals.
When Should You Choose Home Care?
Ask yourself whether you’re looking for somebody to be with your loved one when you aren’t able to provide that support yourself.
Maybe you have to go to work and don’t have anyone available to stay with your mom or dad.
Maybe your loved one needs companionship.
Or maybe they need help getting dressed in the morning, bathing, or keeping up with light housekeeping.
Those are all examples of when home care may be appropriate.
Home care focuses on the day-to-day tasks that help your loved one remain comfortable and safe at home.
When Should You Choose Home Health?
Home health is usually needed when your loved one has a medical or rehabilitative need.
For example, they may:
- Be returning home after a knee or hip replacement
- Have experienced a fall
- Be coming home after a hospitalization
- Be transitioning home from a rehabilitation center
- Need skilled nursing or rehabilitative care
These are situations where a nurse, physical therapist, or another licensed professional may need to provide care in the home.
A simple way to remember the difference is:
Home care helps with day-to-day tasks. Home health helps with skilled medical needs.
Can You Use Home Health and Home Care Together?
Absolutely. In fact, it’s pretty common.
Let’s say you have a knee replacement and live alone.
From the home health side, a nurse may come in to provide wound care while a physical therapist helps with rehabilitation.
But you may still need help with everyday personal tasks.
That’s where home care comes in. A caregiver can assist with bathing, grooming, dressing, light housekeeping, and other needs that help keep you comfortable and safe while you recover.
That’s a perfect example of when you might use both home health and home care at the same time.
Home health addresses the skilled medical side of recovery, while home care provides support with everyday life.
Which Type of Care Does Your Loved One Need?
Choosing the right care for a loved one can definitely be confusing, but knowing the difference between home health and home care is a great place to start.
Home care provides day-to-day, non-medical support. Home health provides skilled medical and rehabilitative care. And in some situations, your loved one may benefit from both.
At Premier Home Care, we help families understand their care options and find the support that fits their loved one’s needs. If you’re not sure where to start, contact our team to talk through your situation.
You don’t have to navigate those choices alone.