How do you care for a home bound patient? Adult children are feeling the pinch of caring for their parents. In most cases, these adult children are in a "sandwich" care-giving situation: they are raising young families, and they are caring for elderly parents.
Medicare's definition of home bound is the following: you are normally unable to leave your home. In the event you do leave home, it requires considerable and taxing effort.
Home health care is an essential tool in the arsenal of an adult caring for a parent. However, the care provided is intermittent. It is not full-time skilled nursing care.
For example, an eligible Medicare home bound patient can receive physical, occupational, and speech therapy if these services are deemed necessary by a physician. Most homebound patients also receive services from a skilled nursing professional. Patients that require management of chronic illnesses qualify for these services. Diabetes, high-blood pressure, and open wounds are just a few conditions that qualify the patient for visits from a licensed nurse.
Most patients are also eligible to receive services from a certified nursing assistant (CNA). Medicare will pay for a CNA to come into the home to help with bathing and personal hygiene. Some patients are eligible to receive assistance 2-3 times per week. The frequency will depend upon the individual condition of the patient.
Home health care is helpful, but it is only a piece of the puzzle. For example, during a normal 24 hour day, home health care may take up 2-3 hours of the day; this is if the patient is receiving multiple therapies. It is important for the caregiver to understand this. The burden will be yours to carry, so it is important to ask for help from other family and friends. Ideally, you can receive some assistance.
Caring for a home bound patient is difficult. You will need to pool all available resources to provide care for your loved one. Most importantly, do not neglect caring for yourself. Care-giving is an honorable job; however, it requires tremendous physical, mental, and emotional stamina. You must take care of yourself first. Caring for a home bound patient requires you to take care of yourself first.
TERMS OF REPRINT: This article may be reprinted on your website, blog, in your newsletter, etc., as long as the info in the "About the Author" section is included (including all links). This content may not be rewritten, revised or edited without the author's consent. Failure to include the info in the "About the Author" section is copyright infringement, and will be prosecuted as such.
Medicare's definition of home bound is the following: you are normally unable to leave your home. In the event you do leave home, it requires considerable and taxing effort.
Home health care is an essential tool in the arsenal of an adult caring for a parent. However, the care provided is intermittent. It is not full-time skilled nursing care.
For example, an eligible Medicare home bound patient can receive physical, occupational, and speech therapy if these services are deemed necessary by a physician. Most homebound patients also receive services from a skilled nursing professional. Patients that require management of chronic illnesses qualify for these services. Diabetes, high-blood pressure, and open wounds are just a few conditions that qualify the patient for visits from a licensed nurse.
Most patients are also eligible to receive services from a certified nursing assistant (CNA). Medicare will pay for a CNA to come into the home to help with bathing and personal hygiene. Some patients are eligible to receive assistance 2-3 times per week. The frequency will depend upon the individual condition of the patient.
Home health care is helpful, but it is only a piece of the puzzle. For example, during a normal 24 hour day, home health care may take up 2-3 hours of the day; this is if the patient is receiving multiple therapies. It is important for the caregiver to understand this. The burden will be yours to carry, so it is important to ask for help from other family and friends. Ideally, you can receive some assistance.
Caring for a home bound patient is difficult. You will need to pool all available resources to provide care for your loved one. Most importantly, do not neglect caring for yourself. Care-giving is an honorable job; however, it requires tremendous physical, mental, and emotional stamina. You must take care of yourself first. Caring for a home bound patient requires you to take care of yourself first.
TERMS OF REPRINT: This article may be reprinted on your website, blog, in your newsletter, etc., as long as the info in the "About the Author" section is included (including all links). This content may not be rewritten, revised or edited without the author's consent. Failure to include the info in the "About the Author" section is copyright infringement, and will be prosecuted as such.