Preferred Care at Home: The Shift Towards Community-Centered Care

In the healthcare sector today, there is an ongoing shift away from traditional, institutionalized care settings, toward a more patient-centered approach. One of the most prominent of these approaches is community home care.

Preferred care at home, also known as home health care, involves an array of services delivered at home to individuals recovering from an illness or living with chronic health problems. The services intended to help the individual recover, to maintain their independence, and ultimately, to attain the best health and functionality possible.

So why is home care becoming the preferred setting for patient care? Comprehensive, high-quality care at home has many benefits for patients, their families, and the broader health care system alike.

Without a doubt, one of the most significant advantages for patients is the comfort and familiarity of being cared for in their own homes. For many people, particularly the elderly and those with chronic conditions, home provides a sense of safety and security that cannot be replicated in a hospital or residential care facility. It allows them to stay close to their beloved pets, personal belongings, and most importantly, to their immediate community.

Home health care providers come equipped with skills and expertise needed to offer personal care, such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation, but can also perform some healthcare services like wound care, disease management, and medication management.

At the heart of preferred home care is community home care. This approach centralizes care within a person’s local community, including their friends, family, and neighbors, all aimed to support individuals to live independently at home for as long as possible. Community home care services range from nursing care to occupational, physical, and speech therapies, to caregiver support and respite, and even social services.

Another benefit of home-based care is the reduction in healthcare costs. Home health care has demonstrated substantial efficacy in preventing unnecessary hospitalizations, reducing hospital readmission rates, and facilitating efficient use of healthcare resources. All of these contribute to lower healthcare costs for patients and the overall healthcare system.

On top of all these, preferred care at home also offers an advantage for the families and loved ones. It allows them to be more personally involved in the care of the patient, leading to better health outcomes and patient well-being.

Ultimately, the shift towards preferred care at home, particularly community home care, is a testament to the fact that healthcare is not just about treating illness, but about enhancing people’s overall quality of life. By centering on the comforts and intimacies of home, we can redirect care to where it belongs – within the heart of the community.