Home Care vs. Nursing Home: Which Option Makes Sense for You
In 2015, there were 1.3 million people living in nursing homes. When your loved one requires help with personal and medical care, you must choose between home care vs. nursing home. Each option has pros and cons.
Let’s explore the positives and negatives of each option.
Making the Decision: Home Care vs. Nursing Home
For many people today, this decision looms on the horizon. One of the first factors to consider is how much daily care does your loved one need?
Home Care:
Home care agencies differ in the level of services they provide. Home health care allows your loved one to remain at home while receiving the care and assistance they need. This includes:
assistance with everyday tasks
companionship
help with cooking and other tasks around the home
helping to maintain safety and prevent falls and injuries.
Nurses provide health assessments and help coordinate care with the physician. Physical, occupational, and speech therapy can provide treatment as ordered. Social workers are available to help obtain equipment and services.
Social workers and clergy also provide counseling to patients and family members.
If the individual has private insurance, eligibility is determined by the company.
Medicare Part A and B cover home health services such as:
Part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care
Physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy
Medical social services
Part-time or intermittent home health aide services
Medicare doesn’t pay for:
24-hour care at home
Meal delivery
Homemaker services
Custodial involving only activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and toileting
In New York, Medicaid is the most common provider for long-term home care. There are different types of Medicaid home care providers.
Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) Plan. This plan operates on an insurance model. They do not provide the home health service themselves. Instead, they contract with a licensed home health agency.
Another Medicaid Home Care provider has Certified Home Health Agencies provide skilled services at home. This includes nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. They also provide home health aides to provide care in the home.
Home health agencies help coordinate these services with your doctor.
Nursing Home:
Nursing homes provide 24-hour, 7 days a week care. Facilities offer a variety of services, levels of care, and additional activities. Some facilities provide rehab services for brief times.
Nursing homes in New York can cost an average of $100,000 per year. Private insurance and Medicare usually don’t cover long-term care. Medicaid is the most common source of funding.
Medicaid will cover nursing home stays if the person meets income and asset limits and if they need skilled nursing care. Medicaid limits include:
Disabled, blind, or 75 or older with a monthly income in 2018 of $842 or less for one person or $1,233 for a couple
New York’s Excess Income Programs allows people with a larger income to qualify. They must spend down under the limit on medically qualified expenses monthly.
In New York, if you make too much, you can pay the extra income to the Department of Social Security, which goes into a pooled income trust.
New York Medicaid requires nursing home residents to keep only $50 of your monthly income and pay the remainder for nursing home costs.
New York also offers other programs including Managed Long-Term Care and Programs for all-inclusive Care for the Elderly. Speak with a social worker to see if you qualify for these programs.
Are You Ready to Make a Decision?
Our home health agency delivers a wide variety of services. We can help with hygiene and activities of daily living to complex nursing care and therapy. Now that you know the difference between home care vs. nursing home, you can make an informed decision about the level of care that you need.
We offer help navigating the financial system related to home health care. We also provide services for the caregiver, such as help with shopping, minor housekeeping, and counseling.
Continue exploring our site to learn more about senior healthcare options. Don’t wait, we are here to help you today.
