Private Personal Home Health Care

 

Private personal care is paid for out of pocket, or privately, or by a long-term care policy. Private care is not limited by insurance restrictions or requirements. It may include the services a patient or family wants and maybe long- or short-term. Patients may receive private care in their homes, a skilled nursing or rehab facility, a hospital, or even while they are on vacation.

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Who should consider private personal care?

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Some individuals require greater assistance than Medicare or private insurance will cover home health care or hospice care. They, or their family caregivers, may want to consider private care.

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Private care allows seniors and disabled individuals to remain in their homes and communities, offering the assistance they need and giving family members peace of mind, with the knowledge that their loved one has the companionship and stimulation from a trained home care professional—who can act as “eyes and ears” to spot changes in health.

 

What services does private personal care include?

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Private care can complement or extend covered services if you would be more comfortable with care above and beyond what Medicare or insurance will cover. Private care services range from round-the-clock caregiver services to a one-time escort home from a medical procedure that requires assistance on discharge.

 

Private care services may include:

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• Management of chronic conditions (monitoring medications, vital signs, and changes in health)

• Assistance with grooming, dressing, oral hygiene, and continence

• Light housekeeping (including grocery shopping and errands and laundry)

• Meal preparation and assistance with feeding

• Companionship

• Respite services for family caregivers

• Appointment companions and assistance getting home after hospital or out-patient discharge

• Care management and coordination services, to give long-distance caregivers peace of mind or to mediate conflicts and disagreements about a parent’s or loved one’s care

• Assistance caring for a family member with cognitive impairment or a physical disability or injury

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Why should I consider private personal care?

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You may want to consider private care for yourself or your loved one for several reasons:

• Paying out-of-pocket gives you greater flexibility in the type and the number of services you receive. Private insurance and Medicare have requirements for coverage of home care. If you do not qualify for benefits or if you have exhausted them yet still want or need care, private care allows you to avoid these restrictions and limits.

• Paying for home care may also be a less costly alternative to a nursing home or assisted living facility.