Home health care helps seniors live 

independently for as long as possible, given 

the limits of their medical condition. It covers 

a wide range of services and can often delay 

the need for long-term nursing home care.

More specifically, home health care may 

include occupational and physical therapy, 

speech therapy, and even skilled nursing. 

It may involve helping the elderly with 

activities of daily living such as bathing, 

dressing, and eating. Or it may include 

assistance with cooking, cleaning, other 

housekeeping jobs, and monitoring one’s 

daily regimen of prescription and over-thecounter medications.

At this point, it is important to understand the 

difference between home health care and 

home care services. Although they sound the 

same (and home health care may include 

some home care services), home health care is 

more medically oriented. While home care 

typically includes chore and housecleaning

services, home health care usually involves 

helping seniors recover from an illness or 

injury. That is why the people who provide 

home health care are often licensed practical 

nurses, therapists, or home health aides. Most 

work for home health agencies, hospitals, or 

public health departments that are licensed by 

the state.

HOW DO I MAKE SURE THAT HOME 

HEALTH CARE IS QUALITY CARE? 

As with any important purchase, it is always

a good idea to talk with friends, neighbors, 

and your local area agency on aging to learn 

more about the home health care agencies in 

your community. In looking for a home health 

care agency, the following questions can be 

used to help guide your search:

• How long has the agency been serving 

this community?

• Does the agency have any printed 

material describing the services it 

offers and its pricing? 

• Is the agency an approved Medicare 

provider?

• Is the quality of care certified by a 

national accrediting body such as the 

Joint Commission for the 

Accreditation of Healthcare 

Organizations? 

• Does the agency have a current license 

to practice (if required in the state 

where you live)?

• Does the agency offer seniors a 

“Patients’ Bill of Rights” that 

describes the rights and 

responsibilities of both the agency and 

the senior being cared for?

• Does the agency write a plan of care 

for the patient (with input from the 

patient, his or her doctor and family), 

and update the plan as necessary?

• How closely do supervisors oversee 

care to ensure quality? 

• Are agency staff members available 

Home Health Care
around the clock, seven days a week, 

if necessary? 

• Does the agency have a nursing 

supervisor available to provide on-call 

assistance 24 hours a day? 

• How does the agency ensure patient 

 confidentiality? 

• How are agency caregivers hired and

 trained? 

• What is the procedure for resolving 

problems when they occur, and who 

can I call with questions or 

complaints? 

• Is there a sliding fee schedule based 

on ability to pay, and is financial 

assistance available to pay for 

services? 

• Will the agency provide a list of 

references for its caregivers? 

• Who does the agency call if the home 

health care worker cannot come when 

scheduled? 

• What type of employee screening is 

done? 

When purchasing home health care directly

from an individual provider (instead of

through an agency), it is even more important 

to screen the person thoroughly. This should 

include an interview with the home health

caregiver to make sure that he or she is 

qualified for the job. You should request 

references. Also, prepare for the interview by 

making a list of any special needs the senior 

might have. For example, you would want to

note whether the elderly patient 

needs help getting into or out of a wheelchair. 

If so, the home health caregiver must be able

to provide that assistance.

Whether you arrange for home health care 

through an agency or hire an independent 

home health care aide on an individual basis, 

it helps to spend some time preparing for the 

person who will be doing the work. Ideally, 

you could spend a day with him or her, before 

the job formally begins, to discuss what will 

be involved in the daily routine. If nothing 

else, tell the home health care provider (both 

verbally and in writing) the following things 

that he or she should know about the senior:

• Illnesses/injuries, and signs of an 

emergency medical situation 

• Likes and dislikes 

• Medications, and how and when they 

should be taken 

• Need for dentures, eyeglasses, canes,

 walkers, etc. 

• Possible behavior problems and how 

best to deal with them

• Problems getting around (in or out of a 

wheelchair, for example, or trouble 

walking) 

• Special diets or nutritional needs 

• Therapeutic exercises. 

A WORD OF CAUTION...

Although most states require that home health 

care agencies perform criminal background 

checks on their workers and carefully screen job 

applicants for these positions, the actual 

regulations will vary depending on where you 

live. Therefore, before contacting a home health 

care agency, you may want to call your local 

area agency on aging or department of public 

health to learn what laws apply in your state.
HOW CAN I PAY FOR HOME HEALTH 

CARE? 

The cost of home health care varies across 

states and within states. In addition, costs will 

fluctuate depending on the type of health care 

professional required. Home care services can 

be paid for directly by the patient and his or 

her family members, or through a variety of 

public and private sources. Sources for home 

health care funding include Medicare, 

Medicaid, the Older Americans Act, the 

Veterans’ Administration, and private 

insurance. To learn more about paying for 

home care visit

http://www.nahc.org/consumer/FAQs/whopay

s.html

 

WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT 

HOME HEALTH CARE? 

There are several national organizations that 

can provide additional consumer information 

about home health care services. These 

include the following:

• The National Association for Home 

Care, which can be reached at 202-

547-7424 or by visiting its website at 

http://www.nahc.org.

• The Visiting Nurse Associations of 

America, which can be reached at 

202-384-1420 or by visiting its 

website at http://www.vnaa.org. 

To find out more about home health care 

programs where you live, you will want to 

contact your local aging information and 

assistance provider or area agency on aging 

(AAA). The Eldercare Locator, a public 

service of the Administration on Aging 

(at 1-800-677-1116 or 

http://www.eldercare.gov) can help connect 

you to these agencies. 

For more information about ACL

U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services, Administration for Community 

Living, Washington DC 20201

Phone: (202) 619 – 0724

Fax: (202) 357 – 3555

Email: ACLinfo@acl.hhs.gov

Web: http://www.aoa.gov