Getting home health care in California might seem a daunting effort to some. After all, you have a lot of things to consider to ensure that you or your loved ones get the best care. And there are likely a lot of questions in your head about the process. To help you out, we have compiled some of the most common ones and answered them for you.
Types Of Elderly Care Services
Home Health Care: The Basics
First up, we have the basic questions. These are the ones that you will likely be asking the first time you are searching info on home health care.
What Is Home Health Care?
In its simplest definition, home health care is a variety of care services given to patients in their homes. Its main goal is to help them maintain their maximal health and comfort without having to travel frequently to a healthcare facility. Here, different experts collaborate to help you achieve that goal, including:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Therapists
- Social workers
- Counselors
These people work together to create a care plan that suits your health needs. These experts will visit your home regularly to care for you and ensure your health care plan’s implementation.
Who Can Benefit From Home Health Care
Anyone in need of medical care can choose to apply for home health care. Some of the most common recipients are:
- People recovering from a recent illness, hospitalization, or surgery
- People who have short term health needs
- Elderly patients who need assistance at home
- Those who have disabilities
- Terminally-ill patients who want to get end-of-life care at home
- Those who need education about their health problems and how to care for themselves.
Once you connect with a home health care provider, it will determine whether you are qualified based on your health condition.
What Services Can You Get From Home Health Care?
As mentioned earlier, the kind of home health care services you get depends on your condition. However, the most common ones you can expect include:
- Skilled nursing care
- Doctor visits
- Pain management
- Medication management
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Home health aides
Aside from these, you can get specialized care services depending on your doctor’s recommendation. Also, these services change depending on the progress of your health.
What Type Of Home Health Care Agencies Can I Choose?
There are two general types of agencies that provide home health care in California. These two types offer similar services but differ mainly in their governing regulations.
Certified Agencies
These agencies are duly recognized by Medicare and Medicaid. Thus, they can charge their services through these institutions, which is great for patients like you. Additionally, they might also carry additional services that you won’t find in other agencies.
Private Duty Agencies
On the other hand, there are also home health care agencies that are not yet certified by Medicare. Thus, they operate on a private pay model, meaning they charge you directly. You can also pay for them through third-party insurance providers. They focus mainly on non-skilled health care, as well as non-medical care like companionship and personal assistance.
Home Health and Hospice Care Eligibility and Requirement
Home Health Care Operations
Once you have signed up for a home health care provider, you would want to know how they operate. These are the typical questions to ask at this point.
When Does My Home Health Care Service Begin?
The home health care service typically begins upon the initiation of the patient, their doctor, or loved ones. In the case of certified health care agencies, you need to seek a doctor’s approval first before the assessment can begin.
Once the doctor approves or prescribes home health care, you can work with your chosen provider to create a care plan. This plan is then sent back to the doctor for final approval. On the other hand, you can also seek private duty agencies to prepare a different plan for you.
Who Will Come To My Home?
That will depend largely on the plan that you have in place. Additionally, a registered nurse or therapist will visit you during the first day. They will conduct a professional assessment of your home health situation. From there, they determine what additional tools or services you might need.
Some of the people that will be regularly visiting you include:
- Registered nurses/licensed practical nurses: They perform most of the home health and nursing care.
- Physical/occupational therapists, speech pathologists: These professionals will oversee any therapy sessions included in your care plan.
- Home health aides/certified nursing assistants: They provide the personal care and companionship services you require.
- Medical social worker: In case you or your family need certain community resources, social workers can take on the job of connecting you to these.
Most of these people will come to your home regularly. The care plan will provide you with a schedule of when they will come to visit. In addition to them, there might also be other health specialists who will visit as needed.
Provider-Specific Questions
Aside from the above general questions, you might also want to ask questions specifically directed to your chosen provider. Such questions give you a clearer idea of what to expect from them. The following are some of the usual ones we encounter.
How Do You Choose Your Care Workers?
At Amavi, our team of healthcare workers undergoes a rigorous selection process. We conduct comprehensive background checks to ensure that only the best professionals join our ranks. After that, we provide additional training to help them know the latest healthcare strategies.
We have also formed partnerships with various hospitals and medical clinics in California. These partnerships allow us to connect quickly with specialists that you might need. It also helps us improve our services significantly.
How Do You Protect My Health Care Privacy?
Amavi fully understands that you value your medical information greatly. As such, we go to great lengths to protect your records. During the initial visits, our representatives will fully explain to you our privacy practices. You can also contact us if you have questions about these practices.
Additionally, we will explain to you your patient’s rights. This is part of our patient education program, which aims to provide the knowledge you need while under our care. We also fully recognize your right to participate in the decision-making process regarding your health care plan.
Know More About The Best Health Care In California
We hope that this FAQ will answer most of your common questions about home health care in California. And if you want to know more about what Amavi has to offer, we are ready to answer more of your questions. Just drop us a call and we will give you a free consultation.