Services provided by the home healthcare industry
The exact services that a client may require will be decided by the doctor and the patient. The home healthcare service professional will then follow the doctor’s orders and provide necessary healthcare services.
There are thirteen kinds of services provided by the home healthcare industry. They include:
1. Doctor visits
Doctors can visit patients in their homes to determine their condition. While a doctor may not need to visit every day, they can periodically visit to ensure that the client is doing well. Should the patient have any emergencies, a doctor will also be available to visit them at home.
2. Nurses and nursing
Nursing care is the most popular service provided by the home healthcare industry. After consulting with the doctor, a nurse will be assigned, who will be responsible for following the doctor’s orders. Home healthcare agencies assign registered nurses only. Nursing care includes dressing wounds, administering medicines, intravenous therapy, monitoring the health of the patient, and more.
The exact services a nurse needs to provide will depend on the condition of the patient and what they need. Nurses are generally responsible for providing medical as well as assistive care.
3. Social services
Home healthcare service professionals include social service workers as well, who visit the patient to ensure they are doing well. These professionals can offer counseling services or help the patient stay in touch with the community. Such care is expected to help the patient in their recovery. Sometimes, a social worker can also be the caseworker assigned to a patient. This happens in situations where the patient suffers from a complex condition, which requires the collaboration of multiple professionals to treat.
4. Speech physical or occupational therapy
After an accident, an injury, or an illness, patients may sometimes need help getting back to their daily routines. They may need to relearn how to do basic routines and perform tasks. Physical therapists can create plans that help patients find strength in their muscles, as well as their joints.
Occupational therapists are responsible for helping patients relearn how to perform basic life tasks. A patient may need help with developmental or social, or even emotional problems. An occupational therapist can help them do basic things, like eating, dressing, bathing, and other tasks. Speech therapists, on the other hand, can help patients with speech problems regain the ability to communicate clearly and speak well.
5. Basic assistance care
Sometimes, a patient may need a homemaker or someone who helps maintain the home while the patient is recovering. A homemaker can help clean the household, do laundry, go grocery shopping, and perform other daily chores.
6. Home health aides
Home health aides can help patients perform daily tasks that they aren’t able to do due to their injury or illness. They can help a patient with getting out of bed, walking, bathing, and even dressing. A home health aide can also work under the supervision of a nurse. They receive specialized training, so they can work under nurses, to better treat the patient.
7. Volunteer care
Community organizations often have volunteers who want to provide basic care, as well as companionship, to patients receiving treatment at home. They can also provide transportation or help fill out paperwork. Generally, however, they provide emotional support.
8. Companionship
Patients recovering at home can feel alone, especially when there’s no one else living in the house. They may need someone to help supervise them, as well as provide companionship. Sometimes, a companion can also help out with household chores.
9. Nutritional support
Patients may have special dietary requirements and need to eat a specific diet during the course of their recovery. For such cases, a dietician can visit the patient at home and provide them with a diet plan on what they can eat. Dieticians help clients with eating the right food, so they can recover better.
10. Pharmaceutical services
Sometimes, medicines or even specialized medical equipment may need to be delivered to the patient’s home. Pharmaceutical service providers don’t just help transport medical equipment and medicines, but they can also teach patients how to use them.
11. Laboratory testing
During the course of the patient’s recovery, certain tests may need to be performed to gauge how they are doing. A patient may need a blood test or a urine test. With the help of home healthcare services professionals, these tests can be performed at the convenience of the patient’s home. Home healthcare agencies also have portable X-ray machines. These can be transported to the patient’s home, where technicians can provide X-ray services.
12. Meals and meal preparation
Patients recovering may not be in a state to cook for themselves. At the same time, they may also not have anyone who can help them prepare their meals. For such cases, communities can provide meals for patients, which are delivered to their homes. Hot meals can be provided for patients up to multiple times a week.
13. Transportation services
A patient may need to go to a medical facility, or another location, depending on their need. Transportation service providers help patients go from one location to the other and then take them back to their homes.
Conclusion
Home healthcare agencies provide a lot of different services that are all designed to help the patient recover at home. From providing medical services to helping patients perform basic daily tasks, there are a lot of services home healthcare agencies provide. Both medical care, as well as assistive care are provided by home healthcare service professionals.
As a home healthcare service professional, you can also consider home health care insurance. This is as, through your career, you’re exposed to certain risk factors. A patient who is unsatisfied with your work could sue you. If this happens, you’ll need to spend exorbitant amounts to defend yourself in Court. With the help of home health aide insurance, however, you can gain financial coverage that helps you to protect your career. From being sued to business disruptions, there are various risk factors covered by home health care insurance. If you would like to learn more about home health aide insurance, then click here.
