What is the difference between skilled home health and hospice care?

Home care agencies like Elara Caring provide skilled home health and hospice care to patients wherever they call home. There are key differences between the two types of services that should be considered when looking for in-home care.

What is skilled home health?

Skilled home health care focuses on recovery, rehabilitation and health education. Patients recovering from an illness, injury or surgery are often referred to a home health agency to help them regain their strength, function and independence. The in-home skilled home health team also assists patients who are managing a chronic illness, such as COPD or diabetes, to ensure they can maintain health and safety at home.

What services are offered with skilled home health?

A patient’s care plan is individualized to meet their unique health needs. Skilled home health services may include:

• Nursing care
• Home health aide assistance
• Social work support
• Physical, occupational and/or speech therapy

What is hospice care?

Hospice care is a benefit which includes expert, compassionate individualized care focusing on personal goals and optimizing quality of life for people facing life-limiting illness. The emphasis of in-home hospice care is on enhancing quality of life, focusing on personal goals and making the patient as physically and emotionally comfortable as possible in their home setting. Additionally, hospice considers both the patient and the family as the unit of care, offering support to the patient’s caregivers and loved ones.

It is a common misconception that hospice is only appropriate when someone reaches a stage of extreme debilitation. Referring to hospice as soon as the prognosis points to hospice eligibility means that patients with life-limiting illness (and their families) receive valuable benefits that enhance day-to-day life with minimal disruption to their usual activities.

What services are offered with hospice care?

Each patient has unique care needs. The frequency of visits is based on the patient’s individual care plan and is modified as often as needed to meet patient and family needs and goals. Services offered include:

• Physician services and nursing care
• Social worker services
• Certified nurse aide and homemaker services
• Chaplain and spiritual counseling
• Medical equipment such as wheelchairs, medical beds or oxygen
• Medical supplies
• Medications associated with the admitting diagnosis and related conditions
• Education and resources to support:
  • Function (ambulation, transfer, dressing, bathing feeding, toileting)
  • Nutrition (eating, drinking, hydration, nourishment)
• 13-month bereavement support

How do I know which home care service is right for me or my loved one?

You can learn more about our skilled home health and hospice services on our website, or you can call Elara Caring to speak with a team member who can help.