As people age or receive a complex medical diagnosis, there may come a day when they can’t care for themselves independently. It’s difficult to accept this possibility, but it doesn’t mean they have to leave their home or move into a facility. Understanding the differences between private duty nursing vs. home health will clarify your options. Considering the possibilities in advance will help you make informed decisions for family members or yourself as your care needs increase. 

What is Private Duty Nursing Care?

Private duty nursing is probably best if your loved one could benefit from around-the-clock medical attention and assistance from a skilled medical professional. Private duty nursing can provide long-term, comprehensive hourly nursing care from the comfort of your family member’s home. Private duty nurses care for patients with chronic illness, injury, or disability. They’re skilled in managing medical equipment and technology. 

Private duty nursing care services include: 

• Bowel care
• Caring for those with a chronic or terminal illness
• Catheter hygiene
• Dressing removal and replacement
• Medical status monitoring
• Oral medication set up
• Post-surgery care
• Tube feeding

Private duty nursing care isn’t timeline-dependent and only ceases when the patient or family decides to decrease care frequency.

Other terms used to describe private duty nursing care include:

• Continuous skilled nursing
• Block shift nursing
• Home-based skilled nursing
• Long-term nursing care
• Catastrophic care
• Hourly nursing
• Adult nursing

What is Home Health Care?

Suppose short-term care is what the doctor prescribes to help your family member prevent or recover from an illness, injury, or hospital stay. In that case, you can expect regular home visits from home health professionals. Nurses and therapists will travel to your home to provide intermittent skilled care and therapies. 

Home health care services include:

• Injections
• Medical tests
• Occupational therapy
• Part-time nursing services
• Physical therapy
• Wound care

Home health care is typically for a limited term of 30 to 60 days. It isn’t to provide the patient with continuous treatment. 

How Are They Paid?

Insurance may cover private duty nursing care or home health care, but each patient’s policy is different, and multiple verification levels are often required. If you think a family member may need the care of this nature, it’s best to initiate the conversation now about what insurance will cover and other programs that can help cover costs.

Ways to consider paying for care include:

• Direct payment
• Health insurance
• Medicaid
• Medicare
• Veterans benefits
• Worker’s compensation

What Can I Expect From Private Duty Nursing vs. Home Health?

You can expect individualized, continuous care for patients with complex needs with private duty nursing care. The idea is that highly-skilled nurses provide the same level of care your loved one would receive in a hospital or skilled nursing facility while allowing them to remain in their homes. 

Home health care serves patients with temporary ailment recovery. Skilled therapists and nurses will visit the home on an intermittent basis for regular appointments to check progress and facilitate healing.

Fokes Can Help You Communicate with Skilled Providers

No matter how brief or long your loved one will receive in-home care from medical professionals, everyone will benefit from clear, coordinated communication. The Fokes mobile application is a three-prong communication platform for patients, caregivers, family, and medical professionals to share updates, reports, and to-do lists. It ensures that everyone has real-time information about the patient and their needs. Contact Fokes to establish a beneficial communication platform for everyone involved with your family member’s care.