Senior Confusion on Home Care Services

Re-posting an article I read recently.  My takeaway is simple…there is great confusion in the elderly community regarding home care services…Medicare can not, and will not, cover the aging elderly population…

********************************************

It’s extremely easy for people to be led by their preconceived notions, their misconceptions, and their prejudices. It’s one of the reasons why far too many people don’t make quality decisions about their health care or support when it’s needed. It’s also why too many seniors in this country make poor choices about in home care support.

They simply don’t know enough about it and may be confused by what this level of care actually means. According to a new report, about 28 percent of people being offered some level of home care support don’t accept. Most of these are older men and women. Understanding why this is happening may help those in need actually receive the support that can keep them home, safe, and on the right road to recovery.

In fact, receiving the optimal level of care and support at home following discharge from the hospital helps to significantly reduce the risk of a readmission. A hospital readmission is defined by the federal government as any time somebody is readmitted within 30 days of their discharge and as the government has placed increased pressure on hospitals to curtain these rates, without proper care and support, the senior may be putting themselves at unnecessary risk.

Under Medicare, home health care services are available to older adults who are homebound and need intermittent skilled care from a nurse, a physical therapist or a speech therapist, among other medical providers.

Typically, these services last four to six weeks after a hospitalization, with a nurse visiting several times a week. Some patients receive them for much longer.

In this “information age”, with access to resources through a wide range of devices and options, it may be difficult for younger adults to understand how confusion still runs rampant regarding home health care support. Seniors simply may not have the same understanding or access to care, especially as it’s changed through the years, and if they don’t ask, they lean on their own understanding, or confusion.

Finding ways to share reliable information may be the best way to help these seniors choose the right support at home when it’s needed.

JD Miller

About JD Miller

John D. Miller is the founder/owner of Home Care Partners, LLC, a Massachusetts business providing private duty, personalized in-home assistance and companion care services to those needing help in daily activities and household functions. Phone: (781) 378-2164 Email: [email protected] Website: https://homecarepartnersma.com
SHARE IT:

Comments are closed.