As increasingly more senior adults are choosing to remain in their own homes as they grow older, it’s important to understand the type of services available should they have to deal with a health care issue, especially when it comes to private duty care versus home health care. They can be very different and involve varying levels of patient support.
Private duty care offers a broad range of long-term services to assist senior adults with their daily lives and activities. This includes everything from bill paying, light housekeeping, meal preparation, and transportation services to companionship services. A private duty home caregiver can also provide respite care to relieve family members who care for their loved ones on a regular basis.
The goal of a private duty caregiver is to provide whatever support a senior adult needs to remain independent for as long as possible in his or her own home. The private duty company will assess the needs of both the client and his/her family to make the right match when it comes to the appropriate caregiver and level of care. Most private duty home caregivers have years of experience, training, and, for safety and compliance reasons, have also been vetted using criminal background checks.
Private duty care does not include medical care, and also is not routinely covered by Medicare. Care is typically provided by the private duty company in blocks of time and is paid for by the client or family members or a long-term care insurance policy.
Home health care services, on the other hand, are medically driven, prescribed by a patient’s primary care physician (PCP) and provide assistance and care to adults and seniors recovering following a hospital or facility stay, or in need of additional support to remain safely at home and avoid unnecessary hospitalization. Home health care is often covered by Medicare and may include short-term nursing, rehabilitative, therapeutic, and/or assistive home health care. This type of care is provided by registered nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, home health aides and medical social workers. Common patient issues that may require home health care include: congestive heart conditions, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, stroke, recovery from a hip or knee replacement, general muscle weakness, infusion and many other therapies and treatments as deemed necessary by a patient’s PCP that may be best delivered at a patient’s home.
About Manchester Specialty
Manchester Specialty provides total insurance solutions to both private duty care companies and home health care providers. Our insurance programs include General and Professional Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Non-Owned & Hired Auto, Directors & Officers Liability, Employment Practices Liability and other key coverages. For more information about our insurance solutions, you or your local agent/broker may contact us at 855.972.9399.