What is Home Health Care?

If you or a loved one is dealing with an injury or illness that makes it difficult to leave home without assistance, you may benefit from home health care.

Home care services are delivered directly in a patient’s home (or an assisted living or residential care facility) by a licensed medical professional. Typically, patients we see have either been recently discharged from an acute or sub-acute care facility (a hospital or a skilled nursing facility) or are working with their provider to try to prevent a hospital visit or stay. The Rochester Regional Health Home Care (formerly "Lifetime Care") team has provided compassionate, personalized care to adults and children since 1960, and our quality of care has been among the top-ranked home care groups in the nation. 

How does home care help?

Home health care is focused on treating an illness or injury in the comfort of your home. Getting care right in your home means that you can:

• Avoid unnecessary hospital and doctor visits
• Become more independent and self-sufficient
• Get better more quickly and return to your baseline level of wellness

Home health care is typically more convenient, less expensive and can be as effective as the care you might receive in another setting.

What happens during a home care visit?

Depending on the type of care you need, your nurse or therapist will work to provide and oversee the services for which you qualify and need in your home. Common services include checking your vitals like blood pressure and temperature, teaching you or your caregiver how to care for a wound, or administer an IV or injection, showing you how to take your medicines, creating a plan to help improve balance or teaching you about ways to help control your symptoms.

Home health aides can also help with basic personal needs, like bathing, walking and dressing.

What are common home care services?

Home care professionals can help to manage:

1. Chronic conditions like diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
2. Wound care
3. Symptom control (Including palliative care) for pain, nausea, vomiting
4. Anxiety related to the disease, or treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation
5. Post-hospital care
6. Incision care
7. Drain care
8. After-care for surgery, including reconditioning and restorative care
9. After-care for surgical and non-surgical fracture repair (ORIF)
10. Anti-coagulant care and teaching after a surgery or accident
11. Stroke recovery
12. G-tube care and feedings
13. IV antibiotics, TPN and IV medications (Lasix)
14. Home safety (including an evaluation for the placement of durable medical or therapy equipment, the installation of grab bars and the removal of clutter)
15. Home exercise programs for injury, illness or post-surgical care
16. Oxygen safety
17. Energy conservation
18. Caregiver training in specific skilled care