Most of us need a little more help with our day-to-day tasks as we get older, especially if we choose to age at home. However, it’s not something we spend a lot of time thinking about until the last minute. Home care is a broad term that includes a lot of different services, including medical support and personal care, so in this blog post we’ll explain the key things you should know.
We’ll start with the scope of home care services and breakdown the key services offered by the different types of providers. Then we’ll take you through some practical information about accessing home care, including what you need to qualify and how to work with your insurance provider.
Prefer to talk to a person? Contact WellSpring Home Health today.
What Are Home Care Services?
Home care refers to the services you need to live safely, comfortably, and independently.
This includes skilled home services (also known as medical care), which includes assistance from professionals such as registered nurses, physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, medical social workers, and certified nurse assistants. These providers work with your primary care physician to ensure you get seamless care you need to live healthily.
Home care also includes unskilled home care services (also known as non-medical care), which is where trusted providers come to your house to help with things such as meal preparation, errands, housekeeping, transportation, and personal hygiene tasks. This service is designed to ensure you can stay safe and enjoy a wonderful quality of life from the comfort of your own home.
There are many reasons why this might be the right solution for you. The most common one is when you start to get older and you find yourself struggling with things like personal care. However, home care services can also assist people who are living with disabilities, people with serious medical conditions, people who are recovering from surgeries, veterans, and many others.
Want to learn more? View our services here.
Skilled Home Care Services
Here’s a list of skilled home care services we provide:
Registered Nurses
- Medication management
- Chronic condition management
- Pain management
- Post-surgical care
- Wound care
- And more.
Physical Therapists
- Movement and joint motion analysis
- Developing therapeutic exercise programs
- Coordination and balance
- Mobility assistance
- Pain management
- Massage therapy
- And more.
Speech Therapists
- Overcoming feeding and swallowing difficulties
- Managing traumatic brain injuries
- Working through hearing loss
- Rehabilitation after a stroke
- Treating learning disabilities
- Managing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
- And more.
Occupational Therapists
- Home safety awareness education
- Hazard awareness and injury protection
- Training in the use of mobility assistive devices
- Development of specialized exercise programs
- Motor skills rehabilitation
- Fitting for prosthetics
- Medication management
- Correction of posture
- Pain management
- Balance training
- Fall prevention
- And more.
Medical Social Workers
- Coping with the emotional side of disease or disability
- Helping your family adjust to increasing care needs
- Finding and applying for financial resources
- Accessing community assistance programs
- And more.
Certified Nurse Assistants
- Personal care and hygiene
- Emotional and psychological support
- Meal preparation and planning
- Medication management
- Mobility assistance
- Feeding assistance
- And more.
Are we the right fit for you? Learn about our home care philosophy.
Unskilled Home Care Services
Here’s a list of unskilled home care services we provide:
- Meal preparation
- Feeding assistance
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Running errands
- Grocery shopping
- Mobility assistance
- Transportation
- Bowel and bladder care
- Bathing and showering
- Personal grooming
Can’t find the service you need? Talk to our team to discuss your options.
Organizing Home Care Services in Alaska or Washington
How Do I Qualify for Home Care Services?
Now that you know a little more about home care services, it’s time to talk about eligibility. There are many different factors that determine whether this is the best fit for you.
The first step in organizing skilled home care services is to get a referral from your primary care physician. Once you have this, you can contact our team and we will talk to your doctor to develop a plan of care that will address your concerns. We’ll also come to your home to meet you, learn more about your health care needs, and talk about your skills and unskilled home care requirements.
One of the big questions your doctor will ask is whether you’re “homebound.” This means you’re unable to leave your home without the assistance of another person, or you’re unable to leave without considerable and taxing effort that puts you in danger or otherwise compromises your health. This is important because it gives us an idea of what we’ll need to do to support you.
Your doctor will also consider your health history and whether you have a medical condition that will require skilled nursing care (or any of the other therapies we’ve already mentioned) to improve your quality of life. They will talk this through with you to ensure all of your clinical needs are met.
If you’re looking for unskilled services, however, you can either get a referral from your physician or organize them directly by calling our offices. WellSpring Home Health works in Anchorage, Alaska, Wasilla, Alaska, and Tacoma, Washington. We pride ourselves in treating our clients like family.
Want to make an inquiry? Give our friendly team a call.
How Do I Pay for Home Care Services?
Once you’re clear on what services you need, it’s time to talk to your insurance provider. There are multiple payment options you can use to help cover the cost of home care services.
For example, the WellSpring Home Health team provide services to Medicare, Medicaid, Tri-Care, VA/Tri-West, Workers’ Compensation, and private pay options. It’s important to choose a home care services provider who can help you identify any programs for which you man qualify, because they’ll also be able to help take care of the paper work you’ll need to arrange reimbursement.
The exact amount varies from provider to provider. It’s really important to check your insurance policy to make sure you know exactly what to expect when it comes to co-pays and deductibles. Remember, you can always call our office with any questions about billing for our services.
Once you get the green light, you can access home care services as required around the clock. We also have a local on-call manager available who can answer questions and provide clinical support after hours to ensure you’re getting the help you need and everything is running smoothly.
Still have questions? Try our FAQs.
Finding an Agency in Alaska or Washington
WellSpring Home Health is committed to providing quality home care services to our clients in Wasilla, Anchorage, and Tacoma. Our goal is to help you live safely in the security and comfort of your home. We provide tailored solutions to meet the need of each individual, whether that’s 24-hour complex care or weekly visits to help with things like meals and household errands.
Our work is based on two fundamental philosophies. First, that each person has innate worth, regardless of their health, age, race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. Second, that each person has entitled to maximize their potential and enjoy quality of life and maximize their potential. That’s why we treat all our patients like our own family.
Ready to take the next step? Call us today to schedule an assessment.