When a parent or loved one needs help at home, two terms come up again and again: Home Care and Home Health. They sound almost identical, but they’re different services, with different providers and often different ways of paying for them.
Home Care: help with daily living
Home Care is non-medical support from a trained caregiver. It covers the everyday tasks that become harder with age, illness, or limited mobility: bathing, dressing, preparing meals, light housekeeping, medication reminders, transportation, and companionship.
Home Care doesn’t require a doctor’s order. Families can start it whenever they feel it’s needed, for a few hours a week or around the clock.
Home Health: skilled clinical care
Home Health is medical care delivered at home by licensed professionals such as registered nurses and physical, occupational, or speech therapists. Typical reasons include recovering from surgery or a hospital stay, wound care, managing a chronic condition, or regaining strength and mobility.
Home Health is ordered by a physician and follows a plan of care with specific goals. Visits are scheduled and usually last for a set period while the patient recovers.
How they’re usually paid for
This is one of the biggest differences. Medicare and many insurance plans cover Home Health when a patient meets eligibility requirements, which generally include a physician’s order and a need for skilled care. Medicare generally doesn’t cover Home Care when daily help is the only care needed, so Home Care is often paid privately, sometimes with help from long-term care insurance or benefit programs.
Which does your family need?
A simple way to think about it: if the need is medical, like a wound, a new medication routine, or therapy after a fall, start by asking about Home Health. If the need is help getting through the day safely, Home Care is likely the right fit.
Many families use both. A patient recovering from a hip replacement, for example, might have a physical therapist visit through Home Health and a caregiver help with meals and bathing through Home Care.
If you’re not sure, that’s completely normal. A short conversation is usually enough to sort it out.
Related services
This article is for general information only and isn’t medical advice. Talk with your doctor about your specific situation.