Home Health Care Services

Introduction2

Demand of Home Health Care in US2

Background3

Differences from Institution and Hospital Care4

Significance of Home Health Care for Public6

Conclusion6

Research Implications7

References8

Home Health Care Services

Introduction

The system in which the skilled health care providers such as practitioners, therapists and nurses provide health care services to the patients in their homes is termed as the home health care. The physician is indirectly involved under this system as all the directions of intervention are provided by him. The health care services available in home settings include a number of therapeutic and medical services which aim to minimize the illness or disability in the patient. These services also help in promoting, maximizing and restoring the health of community. Another major purpose of such home services is that they provide relief to the person with terminal or acute illness by supporting them emotionally and spiritually. Also the benefit of such care is that support of family members is possible in the home settings (Caffrey et.al, 2011).

The primary goal of such system of care at home is that it helps the patients in improving their lives by addressing the issues related to the optimal levels of the well being of these patients. Home health care system also increases the independence and autonomy of the patients as the home health care provider remains with them at home (Thompsona, 2005). Thus the hospitalization process is avoidable along with the admission to other institutions of long term care. This paper aims to explore in detail the home health care in nursing and its significance.

Demand of Home Health Care in US

According to an estimate, the number of people in US who require long term care will be 27 million till 2050. Keeping in view this significant number of potential patients, the long term care through community services can affect the lives of many. Such community based formal services are provided by the home health care service agencies. At present, the number of people receiving such home health care services due to chronic or terminal illness and post acute disabilities is 7.6 million. However, as the population ages increase, this number is also expected to increase with passage of time as currently old aged Americans form a large portion of US population (Caffrey et.al, 2011). The people of old ages in 2006 formed 12% of population in 2006 which is expected to increase to 20% till 2030. Despite the recent estimation on the growth of the home health care, projections show that demand of such service will increase massively specially for long term care patients (Caffrey et.al, 2011).

Background

The model of home health care was initially endorsed by American Public Health Association in November 2010 in order to enhance the public health value. The term of medical homes is also interchangeable with home health care as identified by the National Association of Community Health Centers. The model of health home care differs from the medical homes in which the intention was to serve the children with special needs primarily (Winde ...