What category would you place home health?

Specialties Home Health

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Hi. I have notice in my readings that some people in health/medical care place home health in the long term care category. I don't agree with this, because the vast number of patients I've cared for are not bed confined. Also an increasing number of my patients are referred to home health for short term services whereby they are recovering from an injury or surgery. What do you think? Shouldn't home health continue to stay in a category of its own?

By placing home health in the LTC category, does that mean funding for our services should only come from that area?

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I have worked in home health for almost half of my 19 years. I do NOT consider it LTC. I have cared for subacute patients, cardiac infants and adults, hospice, wounds, antibiotic therapy, pain and diabetic management, psychiatric problems - just about every area you find in the hospital with the exception of the obvious ones like OB, ICU, and OR. HH also involves extensive teaching and social work. HH nurses are alone in the field and need a high degree of skill in assessing and judgement. It doesn't hurt to have excellent rapport with a ton of MDs. The HH scope is much broader than LTC especially with the advent of short stays in hospital. The patients coming home now would have higher acuity and more skilled needs. Home health is in a class of its own.

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:D I have worked Home Health care for over 10 years. I LOVE It!

I belive it is a situation entierly unto it's self! It should be kept that way!

Home health Care is vital to patient care - it helps the patient feel more at ease mentally, they heal better and they also receive better support from their families.

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Specializes in Home Health.

If I had to choose anything it was most like, it would be rehab, we are teaching people to be responsible for their own health. LTC meets the needs of those who are unable to do this for themselves, so I would not compare the two at all!!

I like Beth's option best. Someday's I would come back to the office, after seeing the ways some chose to live, or had to live, and I truly felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. But, I have broad shoulders, so I wouldn't trade it for the world!!!

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I have worked in homecare for 7 years. Most of my clients have acute problems and are only on for a short duration. I also teach and do palliative care. Home health covers so many areas, but it is definitely not LTC. I always say that we do what nurses do in the hospital, but we just do it in a home setting.

It is most unique!

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I AGREE. IT IS AN ENTITY ALL IT'S OWN DUE TO THE NATURE OF IT. HOME HEALTH RUNS THE GAMET FROM LTC TO SHORT TERM TO REHAB.IT ALSO IS THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF NURSING DUE TO EARLY RELEASE AND THAT HMO MESS. iF IT IS UNDER LTC, I'M SURE IT'S POLITICAL OR ABOUT MONEY

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