 | Tari Emery is the Home Health Manager for Girard Medical Center in Girard, KS. Tari first started her career in 1980. In her 30 years of nursing, Tari has worked at a variety of different nursing fields, with six of those years in Home Health. Tari can be reached at Girard Medical Center at 620-724-8469. |
Health & Wellness
2010-12-01 14:13:00
What is home health care?
Question: After recently being released from the hospital, I was told that I was to undergo short-term home health care. What is home health care?
Answer: Home health care is a service where the patient can receive health care in their home, or in an assisted living facility. The purpose of home care is to promote, maintain, or restore a patient’s health and reduce the effects of disease or disability, and can help prevent or shorten hospital stays. This service can provide you with skilled nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapy, and more in the comfort of your own home.
Home health care is personalized health care, and is most often ordered by a physician following dismissal from the hospital. Services can be short-term or long-term. Short-term care is generally for rehabilitation and to help patients to regain independence. Long-term care is for people who are disabled or chronically ill.
In most instances, it is not expected to be long term, but rather to help the patient and/or caregivers become independent in the necessary care. Generally, home health care services are provided on an intermittent (non-daily) basis and visits average 30 minutes to an hour. Most agencies are available 24-hours a day to handle problems.
Direct care is provided by skilled nurses to assist with medications and treatments, evaluation and reporting of a patients condition and progress to their physician, patient and family education regarding special diets, medications, ostomy care, diabetes management, wound care, IV therapy and more. The home health agency can assist patients with their care through the introduction of support services, education, tools, in-home therapies, and consultation advice. Personal care services such as bath assistance, hair care, and skin care can be provided by the home health aide.
Individuals and families with health challenges such as short and long term illnesses, recovering from an acute injury, and those coping with a disease, can benefit from home health care. Services can be delivered to those who are chronically ill, have disabilities, or are recovering from surgery and need therapy at home.
Today, with a growing trend toward reduced hospital stays, home health care is gaining popularity. While caregivers of the past were generally family members or friends, home health care today is based more on a professional health care team working toward a common goal. The goal is to provide the highest quality of care to patients, but also to provide patients and families with the education to care for themselves or their loved ones, once services are completed.
