It's a natural human desire to stay in familiar surroundings and remain involved with community and family. Many social service agencies and other health care organizations provide a variety of medical, nursing and personal services to help people stay out of institutions.
Home care is also usually more cost-effective.
Home health care can also mean skilled services such as nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. You can find home care through friends and relatives, family service agencies, AAAs, hospital personnel, physicians, nursing registries and medical organizations, especially if the need is a result of illness or disability. See Selected Community Resources in this Guide . An elder's ability to remain independent may depend on services that seem simple, but are critical. The least intrusive are volunteer services in which people make weekly visits, for example, or daily telephone calls.