Home Care, (also referred to
as domiciliary care or
social care), is health care
or supportive care provided
in the patient's home by
healthcare professionals
(often referred to as home
health care or formal care.
Often, the term home care is
used to distinguish
non-medical care or
custodial care, which is
care that is provided by
persons who are not nurses,
doctors, or other licensed
medical personnel, as
opposed to home health
care that is provided by
licensed personnel.
"Home care", "home health
care" and "in-home care" are
phrases that are used
interchangeably in the
United States to mean any
type of care given to a
person in their own home.
Both phrases have been used
in the past interchangeably
regardless of whether the
person requires skilled care
or not. More recently, there
is a growing movement to
distinguish between "home
health care" meaning skilled
nursing care and "home care"
meaning non-medical care.
Home care aims to make it possible for people to remain at home rather than use residential, long-term, or institutional-based nursing care. Home care providers render services in the client's own home. These services may include some combination of professional health care services and life assistance services. Professional home health services could include medical or psychological assessment, wound care, medication teaching, pain management, disease education and management, physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy. Life assistance services include help with daily tasks such as meal preparation, medication reminders, laundry, light housekeeping, errands, shopping, transportation, and companionship. Home care is often an integral component of the post-hospitalization recovery process, especially during the initial weeks after discharge when the patient still requires some level of regular physical assistance.
-
Activities of daily living (ADL) refers to six activities: (bathing, dressing, transferring, using the toilet, eating, and walking) that reflect the patient's capacity for self-care.
-
Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) refers to six daily tasks: (light housework, preparing meals, taking medications, shopping for groceries or clothes, using the telephone, and managing money) that enables the patient to live independently in the community.
Aide worker qualifications
The state department of health issues requirement for that state. Workers can take an examination to become a state tested Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Other requirements in the U.S.A. often include a background check, drug testing, and general references
