What is the Difference Between Home Health Care and Skilled Nursing

home health care

Home Health Care and Skilled Nursing

Any time you are sick or have an ill patient, you need to get the most appropriate medical care for these people. The medical care that a person receives varies mainly depending on the kind of illness or condition that a person has. It may not be a regular outpatient healthcare service or admission to a hospital for some. Some of these conditions that an individual could be having need care beyond that, especially if it’s a lifestyle disease. Getting home care services or skilled nursing care is ideal. Many people tend to confuse these two, but they are entirely different in the following ways:

Patients May Need Home Health Care And Skilled Nursing

One noteworthy variation between home health care and skilled nursing is the patients who may need these services. On the one hand, professional nursing care focuses mainly on those patients currently taking their medication. It also involves patients needing pain management or any condition that needs to be monitored closely. On the other hand, home health care is for those patients that need to be helped with their activities. Some of the main activities that you are bound to see in home health services include cooking, dressing, and other things related to home-based chores. In this setting, medical nursing skills are not needed to help a patient but rather anybody capable of doing these regular chores. 

Facility Where the Care is Delivered

The second difference between home health vs skilled nursing is where the care is administered. Home health care service can be delivered at any place, and this may even be in the patient’s home as long as there is an in-home caregiver to provide all the needed services. In the majority of the cases, skilled nursing needs to be provided in a skilled nursing facility. In this facility, the medical personnel will have close monitoring of the patients. However, the service may not be offered in all situations since, at times, it may have to be rendered at home, especially if the patient is gravely ill. In this scenario, the in-home nursing services will be essential, whereby the medical officer visits the patients at home. 

Type of Services Being Offered

On top of the list of the major differences that you will experience in home health care and skilled nursing are what services are available. Depending on health facilities, what is being offered in these two forms of care are visibly different. As for skilled nursing, most of the patient’s benefits are medical-related. In this case, a medical doctor has to guide the service that should be provided to the patient in this case. Most of the services available for patients undergoing home care services in Fort Lauderdale are mostly non-related to medical. In this case, an assistant may only advise but will not prescribe on the specific service to be done. However, the person providing the service should be skilled enough to offer quality and will have a better outcome.

Cost of the Care

How much you are going to incur is the other difference you will experience between home health vs skilled nursing. It goes without question that, indeed, home care is much cheaper compared to skilled nursing. As for home health, less money is going to be spent on taking care of the patient. A person’s money may only be the amount needed to pay the in-home caregiver. However, for skilled nursing, the cost may be significantly higher. When undergoing skilled nursing, you must pay for the medical services you receive.

When a patient gets out of the skilled nursing facility, you may have spent a lot of money compared to home care. However, several facilities offer both services, thus making it cheaper. If you need such a facility, then Senior Nannies in Florida, a home health provider, is one place to consider.

Get Professional Medical Care at Senior Nannies

Getting medical care is the most crucial aspect of your life to improve your health outcomes. While seeking medical care, ensure that you only get professional Palm Beach County home care services. Always ensure that the facilities or the doctors you seek your services from are reputable so that you don’t endanger your life. If you reach a point where you need to consider either home health or skilled nursing, you must pay attention to the above differences. Contact us at Senior Nannies. We are here to help.