Long Term Care Can Happen In The Comfort Of Your Own Home

What Is Home Care?

"Home Care" encompasses a wide range of health and social services. These services are delivered at home to recovering, disabled, chronically or terminally ill persons in need of medical, nursing, social, or therapeutic treatment and/or assistance with the essential Activities of Daily Living (ADL).

Generally, home care is appropriate whenever a person prefers to stay at home but needs some kind of ongoing care provided by either Home Healthcare Agencies, Personal Care Attendants, family members, and/or close friends. More and more people, elect to live independently, non-institutionalized lives, and are successfully receiving Home Care as their physical capabilities diminish.

Home Care Advantages:

• care is received in a familiar and secure home environment
• dignity and independence are maintained
• family and friends are always nearby

Who Provides Home Care?

Home Care is usually provided by family members and/or close friends. Home Health Care organizations, independant providers, such as Personal Care Attendants, can also provide Home Care. Contracted Home Care services generally are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Depending on the needs of the patient, these services may be provided by an individual or a team of specialists on a part-time, intermittent, hourly, or shift basis.

“It is important to understand Home Care can cost just as much as a private facility. And little of that expense, if any, is covered by Medicare, the federal government's endangered health insurance program for seniors and some disabled individuals. Total costs for full-time, live-in health care average about $50,000 annually.” Alfred Clapp, president of Financial Strategies & Services Corp., a New York City financial-planning company specializing in long-term care.

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