Home Health Care or Non-Medical Home Care? What Tempe Families Should Know
You know Mom needs some help.
The harder part is figuring out what kind of help.
Maybe she recently returned home after a hospital stay and a physical therapist is coming twice a week. But no one is there to make lunch afterward. Maybe Dad does not need a nurse, but getting dressed, grocery shopping, and keeping up with the house have become harder.
Families often hear the phrases home health care and home care used in the same conversation, which can make an already stressful situation even more confusing.
For families in Tempe and Ahwatukee, understanding the difference can make it much easier to know where to begin.
What Does Home Health Care Do?
Home health care focuses on skilled medical needs that can be provided in someone's home.
Depending on the situation, that might include nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, wound care, or other medical services following an illness, surgery, or hospitalization.
Home health is often temporary and connected to a specific medical need.
A simple way to think about it is:
Home health helps with medical needs.
What Does Non-Medical Home Care Do?
Non-medical home care helps with the everyday things that keep life moving.
An older adult may not need medical treatment throughout the day but still struggle with making meals, bathing safely, getting to appointments, or spending long periods alone.
Non-medical home care may include:
- Bathing, dressing, and grooming assistance
- Meal preparation
- Medication reminders
- Companionship
- Transportation and errands
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Respite for spouses and family caregivers
- Help maintaining familiar daily routines
The focus is on helping an older adult continue living as comfortably and independently as possible at home.
Dad Has Home Health. Why Would He Need Home Care Too?
This is where the difference becomes much clearer.
Imagine Dad comes home after a hospital stay.
A physical therapist visits Tuesday morning to work on strength and mobility. Later that afternoon, Dad still needs lunch. He may need help getting changed, doing laundry, or getting safely settled for the evening.
The physical therapist handles the therapy.
A non-medical caregiver can help with the rest of the day.
For many families, home health and non-medical home care can work alongside each other rather than replacing one another.
Which Type of Care Does My Parent Need?
Think about what is causing the most concern.
If your parent needs skilled medical care or therapy, home health may be appropriate.
If you are thinking:
“Mom isn't eating unless I bring food.”
“Dad shouldn't be driving anymore.”
“My husband needs help getting dressed.”
“I can't keep leaving work to check on Mom.”
“I need a break from caregiving.”
Those concerns are more closely connected to non-medical home care.
And if both types of needs exist, your family may benefit from both services.
What If My Loved One Is Coming Home From the Hospital?
Hospital discharge is one of the most common times families discover the difference between these services.
The medical part of recovery may already be arranged, but families suddenly realize someone still needs to handle meals, personal routines, transportation, errands, and companionship.
Senior Helpers of Tempe offers Return Home Transitional Care, designed to provide non-medical support for older adults transitioning home after a hospital or rehabilitation stay.
Depending on the care plan, our caregivers can provide personal care, companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, transportation, light housekeeping, and support with everyday routines.
Finding Home Care in Tempe and Ahwatukee
Senior Helpers of Tempe provides non-medical in-home care for older adults and families throughout Tempe, Ahwatukee, and surrounding communities.
Sometimes figuring out what your parent needs is the hardest part.
You do not need to have all the terminology figured out before reaching out. Tell us what is happening at home, what has become difficult, and what is keeping you up at night. From there, we can help you better understand whether non-medical home care could make everyday life a little easier.
A conversation is a good place to start. Our free in-home care assessment gives your family a chance to ask questions, talk through what is changing, and explore the kind of support that may fit your situation.