Home Health Care Services

Home care uses a team approach to care, with the patient and the patient's loved ones at the heart of the team. This patient centered philosophy reflects the collaboration, communication, and highly personal care that characterize visiting nurse services.

Primary care providers (PCPs) usually provide referrals to patients for home health care, although supportive services, such as homemaking and companion care, do not require physician orders. Often, these referrals are made because patients and/or families have requested them.

Depending upon the complexity of the person's needs, either a single service or a combination of services may be appropriate. Home care services include:

• Registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) work with patients of all ages to provide skilled care that cannot be performed safely and effectively by non-clinical personnel. These services include injections and intravenous therapy, wound care, medication management, clinical education, physical assessments, and pain management.


• Clinical specialty teams provide state-of-the-art care in pediatrics, psychiatric nursing, and wound care.


• Physical therapists (PTs) use specialized techniques to restore the mobility and strength of patients. They also teach patients and caregivers techniques for walking and for transferring in and out of beds or chairs. Pre-operative home safety evaluations help prevent disabling accidents such as falls.


• Speech therapists (STs) work to develop and restore the speech of individuals with communication disorders. Speech therapists also help retrain patients in breathing, swallowing, and muscle control.


• Occupational therapists (OTs) work with individuals who have physical and/or developmental problems to help them develop strategies to perform effectively the general activities of daily life, such as eating, bathing, and dressing.


• Medical social workers (MSWs) evaluate the social and emotional factors affecting ill and disabled individuals. MSWs often coordinate services for patients who require both medical and ongoing or long-term care.


• Licensed nursing assistants (LNAs) help patients with activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, walking, bathing, toileting, and dressing.


• Homemakers perform light household duties, such as laundry, meal preparation, general housekeeping, and shopping. These important services often allow the patient to remain at home.


• Companions provide social interaction and transportation to medical appointments, outings, and shopping for individuals who would otherwise be homebound.


• Volunteers meet a variety of patient needs, such as providing companionship, emotional support, helping with personal care, and transportation.



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