home health aide; personal care service provider

Indications

• patients who are homebound & require assistance with activities of daily living due to functional impairment
  • following acute illness or hospitalization
  • chronic disease or cognitive decline
  • need for hands-on personal care (such as bathing, dressing, feeding, & mobility)
  • supervision for safety
  • support for household tasks when family or informal caregivers are unavailable or insufficient
• home health aide to relieve caregiver of some personal care tasks only after assessment of caregiver stress

* home care for unskilled needs may be covered by Medicaid or paid privately.

Notes

• Medicare coverage for home health aide services requires physician certification of homebound status &
  • medically necessary part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care:
    • wound care for pressure sores, or a surgical wound
    • patient & caregiver education
    • intravenous or nutrition therapy
    • injections
    • monitoring serious illness & unstable health status
  • physical therapy, occupational therapy,& speech therapy (conditional)
  • medical social service
  • part-time or intermittent home health aide care
    • only if getting skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy
    • includes
      • help with walking
      • bathing or grooming
      • changing bed linens
      • feeding

More general terms

• health care worker (HCW)