Understanding Home Health Care
Ascend Health is available 24/7 to answer your questions.
Losing your independence for any reason is physically and emotionally challenging. Whether you’ve suffered an injury, are recovering from a surgery, or are experiencing an illness or chronic condition, your main goal is to restore your health, feel better and regain your power. Ascend Home Health offers you a variety of exceptional services to lead your recovery and improve the quality of your life.
What is home health care?
Home health care provides medical treatment and support services when you are recovering from an illness, injury, or hospital stay; if you are disabled, chronically ill, or terminally ill; when you need medical, nursing, social, or therapeutic treatment; and/or if you need assistance with daily living activities. Home health services are intended to help you recover, regain independence and become as self-sufficient as possible. Ascend Home Health offers skilled nursing, home health aides, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to support your recovery at home.
Who is eligible for home health care?
In order to receive home health care, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must have a doctor’s order for home health.
- You must be in need of either skilled nursing care or therapy services (i.e., physical/occupational/speech therapy) on an intermittent basis.
- You must be restricted, due to your condition, in your ability to leave home (“homebound”), and a physician must certify your “homebound status”.
Hospitalization is NOT a requirement to receive home health care. Many of our patients are referred by their personal physicians.
What does "homebound status" mean?
Your condition leaves you normally unable to leave your home and doing so would require a considerable and taxing effort. You are considered homebound if you are restricted in your ability to leave home without the aid of an assistive device (such as crutches, canes, walkers or wheelchairs) or without the assistance of another person.
You may leave the home as often as you need for medical treatment that cannot be provided in the home. You are allowed brief and infrequent absences from the home for some non-medical reasons, such as an occasional trip to the barber or beauty shop, to attend church, or for unique family events such as a graduation or wedding.
What home health services does Ascend Home Health provide?
Your doctor will work with the Ascend Home Health team and your family to develop an individual plan of care based on your needs. Some of the services we offer include:
- Skilled nursing
- Physical, occupational and speech-language therapy
- Cardiac and pulmonary care
- Wound care
- Disease and pain management
- Medication management and education
- Patient education to promote self-management
- Treatment for balance problems that can lead to fall risks