Home Health Therapies

Anyone requiring treatment, assessment, or education is a candidate for home care. Home care patients range from premature babies to people over one hundred years old. Most people receiving home care fall into one of the following categories:

• • People who are recuperating from an acute illness
• • The chronically ill
• • The physically/mentally disabled
• • People diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Various home care programs are available, depending on a person's needs. Most home care patients are in "post-acute care" programs, in which they receive services for a limited period of time (e.g., after a hospital stay). Some agencies may have special acute care programs for adults, children, or maternal/child health.

There are also long-term care (LTC) programs, many of which are governmentsponsored (often through Medicaid), and their availability varies by location. Examples of LTC programs include the Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) programs, and long-term home health care programs (also known as "nursing homes without walls"), and managed long term care programs.

The last major type of home care program is hospice. Hospice programs provide palliative care and counseling to patients who are terminally ill, as well as counseling and bereavement services to family members. Because of the nature of the program, care is provided for a limited period of time (from a few weeks to one year).