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Finding the right kind of home health care can certainly be overwhelming. Home health care needs vary from person to person but they usually fit into three categories: skilled professional care, activities of daily living (ADLs), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). A patient may require care in one or all of these categories.
Skilled Professional Care
This category covers services that can only be delivered by health care professionals with advanced training such as nurses and therapists. These services include administering medication, home infusion (drugs and other therapies administered intravenously), injections, wound and ostomy care, oxygen administration, blood tests, pain control, physical, occupational, respiratory, and speech therapy.
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Many seniors may need help with one or two activities of daily living - bathing, dressing, getting in and out of bed or chair, going to the toilet, walking, and eating. Sometimes family members or friends can offer help on an intermittent basis. But these activities become a challenge for disabled, frail, and mentally incapacitated seniors and they need more extensive help in scheduling and performing them.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
IADLs include such activities as shopping, paying bills, cleaning, doing laundry, taking out the garbage, removing snow, and getting to medical appointments. IADLs are less basic than ADLs - they need to be performed, but scheduling them may not be as critical.
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