Advantages of Home Health & Elderly Nursing Homes

Nursing homes provide managed care for their elderly residents. Nursing staff members assist the residents with basic daily tasks such as grooming, toileting, bathing and eating. Staff also monitor the patients' vital signs and prescribe regimens under the guidance of physicians. Home-health-care agencies hire nurses and nurse's aides to look after patients in their own homes, when they are recovering from a chronic illness, are disabled or recovering from an injury. Home-health-care workers are responsible for a range of tasks that include personal care and assisting patients who have mobility problems.

Social Advantages

• Many elderly people may suffer from loneliness if they are no longer close to their families or friends. Nursing homes attempt to redress this need by creating an active environment where elderly residents can establish social networks among their peers. Many nursing homes schedule social activities such as card game nights and outings to the movies to forage a feeling of community and stave off loneliness. Home-health-care allows patients to remain in their own homes while receiving the full benefit of medical care and attention. Patients are much more likely to have contact with relatives and friends when they stay in their home environment than in hospitals. Having such a full support network available is likely to keep patients in better spirits and shorten recovery times after illnesses or injuries. (See References 1)

Mobility Advantages

• Many elderly people can no longer drive due to deteriorating eyesight, slow reflexes or mental impairments. Many nursing homes plan excursions to shopping centers, parks and museums, according to the Care Plan Information website. (See References 3) This provides elderly patients with a sense of mobility and variety in their lives, which may not be available to them if they live alone or are being cared for in hospitals. Similarly, patients who recover at home with help from home-health-care providers are more likely to have help from relatives when they need to do errands and shopping.

Individual Care

• Home health care provides focused, individualized care for the specific needs of patients. (See References 2) Any needs a patient may have, such as times of the day they wish to have personal care or be fed, can usually be met by a home-health-care worker. In a hospital setting, patients might not receive such specialized attention, due to a lack of staff resources. Because nursing homes focus solely on care for the elderly, their nursing staffs are more familiar with conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and the physical difficulties that afflict the elderly.

Community Advantages

• Home health care and nursing homes ease the burden on hospital nursing staff, as they play a crucial interim role in restoring patients to good physical health or in keeping them comfortable in the final years of their lives. The use of nursing homes is also an advantage to relatives of patients as it allows elderly residents to receive round-the-clock care and medical attention, which families can rarely provide due to personal commitments. Home health care is covered through Medicaid and private insurance policies, which means the poorer members of society are not denied access to it.