Skilled home health care is an insurance–driven medical service delivered to you at your home, wherever that home is at the time of the need – your house, apartment, or assisted living residence. Skilled home care is prescribed by your doctor as a temporary or intermittent service, to get you back on your feet.

You may be eligible to receive skilled home care upon discharge from a hospital or a rehab facility, or from your doctor if he or she sees the need. Home care also may be appropriate if you start taking a new medication that requires monitoring, or are healing from a wound, need help with strengthening, or are learning to navigate a new physical situation in your home. You might be eligible to receive physical therapy in the home, which can be very useful because it enables you to train in your true living environment. 

The team who may care for you includes a Registered Nurse, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Home Health Aide, and Social Worker. These professionals (some, or perhaps all) work in conjunction with each other to help you heal after an injury, operation, illness, or other physical setback to help you get well. Skilled home care provides a Case Manager to oversee and coordinate all aspects of care while you are on service. 

Because skilled home care is an insurance-covered service, some rules apply:

1. You must be homebound (which means it is a taxing effort to leave home) for the duration of the service. Being homebound not mean you cannot go to church or to appointments, but it does mean that you are not leaving home on a regular basis. 
2. You must also have a need for these medical services, as determined and prescribed by your doctor.

Remember, skilled home care is not a long-term solution, and these services must be prescribed by a doctor. You can always advocate for skilled home care services with your doctor, as you know your needs better than anyone else. If skilled home care is prescribed for you, remember to research the agencies and choose wisely. Not all agencies are created equal and you always have a choice.

For more information about McLean’s Home Care services, please contact Tully Meyer, Community Liaison, at 860-658-3954 or Tully.Meyer@McLeanCare.org.