Time & Type of Services Available

Understanding the different types of services available for home care can be confusing to say the least. The following list is designed to clear up some of the confusion.

Length of Care

Hourly: Hourly care can be provided by a companion or homemaker, CNA/HHA, LPN, or RN. The caregiver can provide care available under their licensure/certification as well as companion / homemaker services. A minimum of 5 hours of care is required. RN, LPN and Bed and Bath visits are also available.

Live-In: 24-hour live-in care can be provided by a companion/homemaker, CNA/HHA, LPN, or RN. The caregiver can provide care available under their licensure as well as companion/homemaker services. A live-in caregiver must be able to have 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, in contract (for client’s that need full 24-hour attention, look for shift-work care).

24 Hour Care: This level of care and service is when a home health professional is awake and ready to attend to a patient’s needs 24 Hours a Day. The level of service usually, with rare exception, applies to home health aide care. This level of care requires multiple shifts by care providers over the 24 hour period. Provision of this service is via private pay, use of long-term care insurance.

Visits: A visit is when the health professional, aide or nurse, comes into a patient’s home or residence and performs certain specific tasks or duties. A visit can last up to an hour, but is defined, time-wise, by the completion of the required duties. When the tasks have been performed and completed, the visit is over. Skilled Nurse visit example: remove a dressing on a wound, document the wound, treat the wound, put a new dressing on the wound and to monitor the general health of the patient. Home Health Aide Visit Example: help the patient undress, help patient bathe or give patient sponge bath, help patient get dressed and change bed linens.