Home care can be broken down into two different categories. One type performs custodial care — care for the aging and disabled that helps a person with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, feeding, and transferring. Custodial care also includes helping a person perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). IADLs are tasks not involving physical contact with a client, but necessary for independent living such as light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation and planning, shopping and errands, using communication devices (telephone, writing), and managing money.
Most senior clients of Family Resource Home Care need help with both ADLs and IADLs. The other type of in-home care is medical home care, also known as home health care. Home health care is performed mostly by nurses and physical and occupational therapists. It involves skilled procedures such as wound care, IV lines and infusion therapy, managing medications, physical and occupation therapy, and skilled nursing care. Private duty home care refers to the method of payment. Private duty home care services aren’t covered by Medicare or health insurance. With a few exceptions, they’re paid for privately by the client, or by long-term care insurance.
