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Summary
Home care is care that allows a person with special needs to stay in their home. It might be for people who are getting older (aging in place). It could also be for people who are chronically ill, recovering from surgery, or have a disability. Home care services include:
- Personal care, such as help with bathing, washing your hair, or getting dressed
- Household chores, such as cleaning, yard work, and laundry
- Cooking for you in your home or delivering meals to you
- Money management, such as help filling out forms and making sure that your bills are paid on time
- Health care, such as having a home health aide come to your home or getting care from your provider through telehealth
You can get almost any type of help you want in your home. You have to pay for many of them. But some types of care and community services are free or donated. Sometimes government programs or your health insurance will help cover the cost of certain home care services.
Related Issues
- Adult Day Care (Administration for Community Living)
- Adult Day Services (National Adult Day Services Association) - PDF
- Hospice (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Long-term care (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
- Telehealth: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Home Healthcare Medical Devices: A Checklist (Food and Drug Administration)
- Home Improvement Assistance (Administration for Community Living)
- Infusion Pumps: Tips for Using Your Pump at Home (Food and Drug Administration)
Statistics and Research
- FastStats: Adult Day Services Centers (National Center for Health Statistics)
- FastStats: Home Health Care (National Center for Health Statistics)
- National Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Study (National Center for Health Statistics)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Home Care Services (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Providing 'professionalism with compassion'; how the time for caring communication can...
- Article: Signing contracts for family doctors, functional limitations and home care willingness...
- Article: Narratives of health-promoting experiences by older husbands and wives providing care...
- Home Care Services -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Find Home Health Services (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Also in Spanish
- Meals on Wheels: Find a Meal (Meals on Wheels Association of America)
- Medicare: Find and Compare Health Care Providers (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Dementia - home care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Home health care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Home Healthcare Medical Devices: A Checklist (Food and Drug Administration)