The term “home care” can be misleading as it often gets conflated with other, very different types of care. These days, there’s a whole scope of personal home care options available, ranging from companionship services to more advanced medical care. Understanding the differences between types of care is crucial when determining the best care type for an aging loved one.
If your senior parent is in need of individualized, one-on-one care at home, look no further than private duty home care. Read on to learn about private duty home care, how it differs from other types of home care, and how it may help your aging loved one receive the care they need in the comfort of their own home.
Understanding private duty home care
Sometimes referred to as custodial care, companion care, or nonskilled care, private duty home care is a type of nonmedical home care. Private duty caregivers offer their professional help to people who need assistance with their day-to-day activities. That care is delivered within the patient’s home or place of residence. Although many of the same services can be received in certain facilities, the goal of private duty home care is to help the senior remain independent in their own home while still getting the proper one-on-one care and attention they require.
A telltale difference between private duty and general home care is the payment method. Private duty home care is typically paid for using private funds rather than insurance.
“Private duty” is a term used to encompass all types of in-home care. Whether it’s home care, nursing care, or home health care, you’ll find important differences between these care types.
Private duty home care vs. private duty home health care
It’s important to know the differences between private duty home care and home health care so you can ensure your loved one gets connected with the proper level of care and treatment. The main difference is that home health care refers to in-home medical assistance, whereas private duty home care provides only nonmedical care. Home health care involves a higher level of training and specializations for providers, and, thus, can be more expensive.
Read: What Is a Home Health Nurse? Job Duties and How to Find the Right One
Private duty home care vs. private duty nursing
While private duty home care typically consists of nonmedical services, some providers also offer licensed medical care, according to the Private Duty Home Care Association. However, this type of care is referred to as private duty skilled nursing or private duty nursing (PDN). According to the West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services, private in-home nursing care provides more individualized and continuous care than what’s provided through home health care or in a nursing facility. And, much like a home health aide, private duty nurses must complete more training and certifications.
What services can private home care provide?
Private duty home care services focus on aiding in a patient’s ability to take care of their activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). For someone to require help with their ADLs, it means they cannot complete their most basic, fundamental tasks without assistance. These include eating, bathing, and using the bathroom. If someone needs help with their IADLs, it means they struggle to complete household tasks on their own. These include cleaning, cooking, driving or navigating transit, shopping, doing the laundry, and managing finances.
Private duty home care services can include the following:
- Companion care, which includes emotional support, socialization, and assistance with IADLs
- Personal care, which includes everything companion care offers, plus assistance with ADLs
- End-of-life care, which can include hospice and palliative care
How does private home care help seniors age at home?
In addition to helping seniors with various tasks and activities that enable them to live more independently, in-home caregivers can offer seniors valuable services beyond medical assistance and household help.
A trusting relationship between a patient and their in-home caregiver is a prerequisite to good home-based care and can even help facilitate health and healing, according to a 2018 study published in The Open Nursing Journal. Private duty home care agencies will try to ensure your loved one always has the same caregiver. This means caregivers and their clients often develop deep, caring relationships — even friendships — which can help combat senior isolation and loneliness and improve their overall quality of life.
How does private home care help seniors with chronic conditions?
In-home care, whether medical or nonmedical, can be a godsend for seniors with chronic conditions such as dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), heart disease, and developmental disabilities. Because private duty home care is offered within the patient’s own place of residence, they avoid the stress of moving into a new, unfamiliar nursing facility or senior living community. They can remain in the familiarity of their own home, among their cherished belongings, photos, and keepsakes, and still receive the care they need.
A professional home care agency should monitor their ability to provide the best possible care for their clients. However, sometimes home care can only do so much. In certain cases, an aging loved one’s needs will become too complex for home care alone, and a change in their care plan may become necessary.
How much does private in-home care cost?
The median monthly cost of nonmedical home care in 2021 ranged from $4,957to $5,148, according to the most recent Genworth Cost of Care Survey. However, the cost of in-home care will vary depending on the number of hours of care received, whether you hire an independent caregiver or hire through an agency, and where you live. Requirements can differ from state to state. Cities with a higher cost of living, for example, will likely have higher costs for home care than cities with low costs of living. States also have differing regulations for training and certification requirements for in-home caregivers, which can impact the cost.
How do I pay for private home care services?
With private duty home care, the client typically pays either the home care agency they’ve hired or an independent caregiver directly. Typically, families have fairly limited options when determining how to pay for home care. Because it’s nonskilled care, private duty home care isn’t covered by Medicare. Instead, it’s commonly paid for using private funds rather than insurance. However, some insurance plans, such as Medicaid or veterans health benefits, may cover some unskilled home care services.
How do I make the right choice for my loved one?
If at any point you would benefit from more information on your loved one’s care options, consider talking with one of AgingCare’s trained Care Advisors. They can answer your questions, offer their personalized advice, and match you with an in-home care provider that suits your unique needs, all at absolutely no cost to you.
Reviewed by Amanda Lundberg, RN.
Sources:
Private duty home care: what it means to real people across the nation (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21692436/)
Private Duty Nursing Services (https://dhhr.wv.gov/bms/Programs/PDN/Pages/default.aspx)
What is Private Duty Home Care? An Industry Overview (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1084822305280968)
About Private Duty Home Care at NAHC (https://www.nahc.org/about/about-pdhc-at-nahc/)
Genworth Cost of Care Survey (https://www.genworth.com/aging-and-you/finances/cost-of-care.html)
Caring Relationships in Home-Based Nursing Care – Registered Nurses’ Experiences (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3722540/)
What’s not covered by Part A & Part B? (https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/whats-not-covered-by-part-a-part-b)
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