While home health services require that a client be “homebound”, that does not mean that a client is unable to leave the home. It simply means that, because trips outside the home require assistance and are a taxing effort for you, they are infrequent and of short duration. Medicare understands that there are times that clients need to leave the home….such as to obtain food and medications, attend physician visits, church services or special family functions. These trips are perfectly acceptable and do not keep you from qualifying for home health. Also consider that many times a client’s “homebound” status is temporary. While they may normally go outside the home frequently and with little effort, a hospital stay or recovery from an acute illness can change that…..if only for a few weeks. If you have any concerns about whether or not you would meet the “homebound” criteria, please contact us for further information.