Homecare (also spelled as home care) is a health care or supportive care service offered to patients in their place of residence through a group of highly qualified professionals.[1] In addition to offering education about the patient's condition, they also provide treatment as prescribed by the physician[2].Treatments that are given in the comfort of the domicile.Therefore, they provide skilled services in
Graduate Nursing,
Physical Therapy,
Occupational Therapy,
Speech & Language Pathology,Social Work Services and
Nutritional Consultation to meet the patient's needs. The purpose of home care is to promote, maintain, or restore a patient's health and reduces the effects of disease or disability.[3]
History
Home care has existed since the post-wars due to the lack of beds and capacity in hospitals. But after a while, it began to be systematized and become part of Organized
Health Systems.
United States
In the United States in New York City, home care services began in 1947, as an extension of the hospital to the patient's home. As stated in the literature, the reasons for creating this first unit in the world were to decongest hospital wards and provide patients with a more human environment conducive to recovery.
Canada
In Canada in the 1970s, some provinces began to formulate a broader vision of home care, one that included acute units and support services for frail elderly and disabled Canadians, as well as AD services for early-discharge surgical patients, in coordination with Montreal hospitals. In 1987, a pilot plan called Hôpital extramural[4] was carried out, which consisted of the administration and control of parenteral antibiotics in the home of patients with acute problems.
Europe
Looking at the health experiences of home care in France at the Tenon Hospital in Paris, a unit of home hospitalization was created in 1951. Later, in 1957, was established in the same city the Santé Service, a non-governmental non-profit organization that still today continues to provide social and health care at home to patients with chronic and terminal diseases. It should be noted that home care in France has only been fully and officially recognized as an alternative to traditional services since 1992, under government health decrees that were issued and gave validity to this new modality. In other European countries after 10 years they started to develop HC. In the United Kingdom, this form of care was introduced in 1965 as Hospital Care at Home. If we evaluate the development of HC in Eastern Europe, it has been very irregular, both qualitatively and quantitatively; therefore, to contribute in this sense, the European Office of the
World Health Organization has been coordinating the From Hospital to Home Health Care program since 1996, aimed at promoting, standardizing and recording this care modality more adequately.
Types of Home Health Care Services & Role of Professionals
They promote oral expression within a rehabilitation program.
Speech Pathologist visit patients to assess and treat speech disorders and swallowing problems.
They provide an individually designed treatment plan to maximize the effectiveness of communication for those patients with conditions such as: stroke, head injuries,
laryngectomy and
speech disorders, as well as
cognitive deficits.
They guide, refer and coordinate tasks related to community resources and management as: Referrals to the
Department of the Family,
Foster Care Service, Coordination with the Office of Older Persons' Affairs for Housewives, Respite Care Program, Nutritional Supplement and Diet Supplies, among others.
Benefits
Home care services are wide and varied, depending on the assessment and the need of the patient. Services can include from meal, preparation, medication, companionship, palliative care, serious injury care, continuation of treatments, and others.[10] There are many benefits that home care offers, divided into health, social and
scientific-technical aspects.[11]
Residence Health Assistance Costs
According to Genworth Financial’s Cost of Care Survey.[12] the average cost of in-home care in the United States is $4,290 a month. For home health care, the cost is higher, at an average of $4,385 a month. However, considering that home health care can include nursing services, it is a economical option compare to residential skilled
nursing care. Which costs an average of $7,513 a month for a shared room and $8,517 for a private room.It all depends on the location, home care can either be significantly less expensive or much more expensive than the listed costs.
Covid-19 & Homecare
During the
covid-19pandemic, the elderly population is the most vulnerable group. Most of their health is compromised, and because they may be contagious, they must avoid exposure in crowded places. For this motive, home care professionals have been educated to continue to attend to patients by taking the appropriate safeguards. This way giving them the benefit of proceeding with their treatments in the comfort of their home without the need for exposure in public.[13]
Associated Health Topics
Assisted living or (also called residential care) are services for people who need help with
personal care, cleaning, and taking their medicines. But in this case, they don't need the medical care provided by nursing homes or home cafe professional health care team. Usually residents are older adults, with illnesses including those with
dementia , or
Alzheimer.In some cases, residents may be younger and have
mental illnesses , long-term problems, or certain
medical conditions.
Caregivers can take care of them at home, hospital or another medical environment.They are responsible for physical care and
emotional support for people who can't take care of themselves due to
illness,
injury , or
disability. This fact often includes providing support with monetary, and legal services as well.
Telemedicine is the use of
communication technology to provide remote telemedicine services. These technologies may include computers, cameras, videoconferencing , the Internet, and satellite and wireless communications. Some examples of
telemedicine include: "virtual visit" with a health care professional through a phone call or video call, remote monitoring of the patient, a surgeon who uses robotic technology to perform an operation from a different location, sensors that can alert
caregivers if a person with
dementia leaves the home, sending a message to your health care professional through your electronic health record, watching an online video that your provider sent you about using an inhaler, and receiving a reminder by email, phone, or text message that it is time for a cancer screening examination[14].