In-Home Care Information for Northern Virginia

What is In-Home Care?

In-home care includes any professional support services that allow individuals to live safely in their homes. In-home care services can improve a person's quality of life by helping individuals who require some level of home care assistance to live independently, including people who are managing a chronic medical condition, individuals recovering from a short-term health issue, or persons with special needs or a disability.

There are three in-home care alternatives available to seniors who require or desire medical or non-medical care but residing in an assisted living or independent living community is not a practical option. These options include non-medical home care, medical home care/private duty nursing, and home health care.

What is Non-Medical Home Care?

Non-medical home care, the most common, provides companionship, help with daily activities (such as dressing, bathing, and meals), and assistance managing tasks around the house. Home care aides are trained to understand the complexities of providing senior care, but they are typically not licensed medical professionals.

Non-medical home care generally includes, but is not limited to:

• Companionship / social activities
• Assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, etc.
• Home organization and cleaning
• Financial management or assistance with paying bills
• Transportation to medical appointments and personal activities

Non-medical home care is best suited for:

• Seniors who are isolated at home and want/need companionship.
• People who require assistance with ADLs, such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, etc.
• Elderly individuals who would benefit from help with household tasks, like cooking, cleaning, and reading mail.
• Seniors who need transportation to and from events and medical appointments.

What is Medical Home Care?

Medical home care, also called private duty nursing, provides long-term, hourly nursing care at home for adults with a chronic injury, illness, or disability. In Virginia, a caregiver must be at least certified as a Certified Nursing Assistant. The Virginia Board of Nursing provides a user-friendly portal to verify the license information for Virginia caregivers.

Medical home care generally includes, but is not limited to:

• Skilled nursing services
• Care for neurological disorders, respiratory conditions, and autoimmune diseases
• Ventilator, tracheostomy, feeding tube, and catheter care
• Health monitoring
• Administration of medications

Medical home care is best suited for:

• Patients with chronic conditions who need extensive skilled nursing care to remain at home.
• Patients who require device-based respiratory assistance, to include tracheostomy and ventilator care, oxygen support, and suctioning.
• Patients dependent on extended drug therapy or intravenous nutrition, with needs exceeding those generally covered by home infusion therapy services.

What is Home Health Care?

Home health care offers short-term, physician-directed care by a licensed professional (such as registered and licensed practical nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, or speech-language therapists), often through home health agencies or, in some cases, hospice agencies. Home health care is designed to best help a patient prevent or recover from an illness, injury, or hospitalization.

Home health care generally includes, but is not limited to:

• Medical testing
• Occupational, physical, or speech-language therapy
• Injury or wound care
• Administration of prescription medications or shots
• Health monitoring

Home health care is best suited for:

• Seniors who require medication monitoring.
• Elderly individuals undergoing a decline in physical functionality who could regain a useful level of independence through occupational, physical, or speech-language therapy.
• Patients recently discharged from hospital care, rehabilitation, or a skilled nursing community.
• Seniors who are unable to safely travel to and from medical visits independently due to their delicate health.

How much does In-Home Care cost in Northern Virginia?

In the Northern Virginia area, non-medical home care averages about $20/hr; medical home care or private duty nursing typically starts around $25/hr, and rates for home health care are generally about $30/hr. Non-medical home care is usually private pay, while medical home care/private duty nursing and home health care are typically covered by Medicare or private insurance.

Are there any In-Home Care resources in Northern Virginia?