What Is The Difference Between A Home Care and Home Healthcare Franchise Business?

Sometimes the terms home health and home care are used interchangeably, but they are actually two different types of care services.

Home healthcare: medical care for older adults at home

Home healthcare is skilled, medical care that is provided by licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and therapists. Home healthcare is typically ordered by a physician, for a specific timeframe, designed to help patients recover from an illness or injury.

Examples of home healthcare can include:

• Wound management and care for a pressure sore
• Patient and caregiver education
• Nutrition therapy
• Injections
• Monitoring serious illnesses

Home healthcare helps patients to recover and maintain their health in the comfort of their own homes.

In-home care: daily support for older adults at home

In-home care, on the other hand, is where caregivers support older adults in their homes to support their activities of daily living. Those include eating, bathing, dressing, transferring, going to the bathroom, and walking.

In-home care is non-medical in nature, a type of support that any family member or client could request on their own. Families can also lean on resources like the VA, Long Term Care Insurance, and sometimes Medicaid, to pay for these services. Home care can also be long-term or episodic, depending on each client or family's unique needs.

Examples of home care include:

• Assisting someone from their bed to the bathroom at night
• Preparing a nutritious meal
• Light housekeeping
• Talking to a client about their career and how they can continue to find purpose

When someone uses in-home care services, they may be recovering from an illness or injury, or trying to maintain their quality of life with some support. The goal is to help improve the client's life by addressing physical, emotional, social, and other needs, while promoting their independence at home.

Choosing the right service type for your business interests

Now that you know the difference between each service type, there are differences between each market.

Demand for care

Home healthcare is episodic and time-bound, which means you have to have a robust pipeline and volume of patients coming in on a regular basis. Home care, on the other hand, is not based on medical necessity, and can often be a long-term relationship.

Care costs

Home healthcare services are covered by Medicare, private health insurance, as well as Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI). Patients don’t typically pay for these services out-of-pocket. They are also typically shorter visits and less hours due to the costs. Home care, on the other hand, is mostly paid for out-of-pocket, and costs can be supplemented if the client is a veteran, has a long-term care Insurance policy, or is eligible for Medicaid.

Workforce dynamics

Regardless of the service type, clinicians and caregivers are in high demand! If you can build a culture that supports and empowers your teams, this can attract the right-fit team members and help provide excellent care to the people you choose to serve.

Entering a new market

Home care has a lower barrier to entry in terms of getting in front of the right people and sharing what you do. Home healthcare requires more administrative and clinical work to certify need and eligibility, etc.

Start your in-home care business with Comfort Keepers^® by your side.

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