Categories: In-Home Care for Seniors

Home Care vs Home Health Care

Home care and home health care are types of care given to people in the comfort of their own home. These care options make it possible for people, especially seniors to remain in their homes rather than staying in other senior care homes or nursing home facilities.

People sometimes get confused between Home care and Home Health Care. The main difference is that Home Care refers to non-medical services provided by caregivers, while Home Health Care is a medical service prescribed by a doctor. In order to better understand the differences between home care and home health care, please see the chart below.

Home Care vs. Home Health Care Chart Comparison

	HOME CARE	HOME HEALTH CARE
Prescribed by the Doctor	NO	YES
Skilled Nursing Care	NO	YES
Offers occupational, physical, respiratoryand speech therapy	NO	YES
Administer Medications	NO	YES
Provides Medication Reminders	YES	NO
Help with Activities of Daily Living	YES	YES (Minimal)
Help with Household Chores like cooking, cleaning, etc.	YES	NO
Transportation Services	YES	NO
Payment Options Available	Private Pay or Long-term Care Insurance	Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap, Veteran’s Insurance Pay or Private Pay

Please note that Medicare pays for Home Health Care ONLY if you meet certain conditions. For more information, click here.

You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY/TDD: 1-877-486-2048 for the speech and hearing impaired) or click here to check your Medicare eligibility and coverage.

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Home Care for Seniors

Kate Allado | Senior Advocate / Care Advisor( State Licensed Certified Administrator | Co-Founder at SeniorCareHomes.Com )

Catharine “Kate” is a Certified Administrator for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) and an Expert Senior Care Advisor. Kate’s grandmother battled Alzheimer’s Disease and Kate personally understands what millions of families are going through. Kate and her team are very passionate in empowering Seniors and their families by providing them with the Best Available Senior Care Options based on Senior’s care needs, preferred location and family’s budget.