Doctors, health care experts, and physicians spent substantial time in the hospital vicinity since the beginning of this pandemic. Nursing homes get less attention until plenty of deaths reveal an unbelievable risk for older adults. It is even riskier for those who take care of them. Other sectors receiving less attention are home care services, personal care assistants, therapists, and nurses.
Those who provide care and treatment in the patient’s home. Around 5 million people in the U.S. presently receive home care service. Nowadays, home care continues for aged adults and the disabled, but many patients with COVID-19 have it.
Even before this pandemic, there weren’t sufficient home care providers. Thousands of people with COVID-19 who don’t need hospitalization may require home care.
People who are hospitalized with COVID-19 will require home care after getting discharged. Some aged adults who don’t want to shift into nursing homes may go for home care. And people with necessary medical conditions, probably less willing to get hospitalized, might select home care too.
The quick addition of home care services will reduce the tension on our health system during this COVID-19. Also, let us ponder what health care aid will probably look like after the pandemic is ended.
Health Workers Needs Care
One important thing to think about is the health of the home care providers themselves. Those who take care of weak older adults are sometimes themselves weak. About 80% of the home care providers are women who have not finished college. Nearly 50% belong to ethnic or racial minority communities.
They have a disproportionately increased rate of ailment and demise from COVID-19. One in five doesn’t have health insurance. The average age for home care workers is around 50 years of age. They are paid an average of U.S. $12 per hour. Also, more than 1 in 4 doesn’t have health support themselves.
Consequently, many of them travel to many houses to piece together full-time jobs. That intensifies the danger of carrying the virus into the homes of older adults. Also, these vital health workers are themselves in trouble because of going to many people. These aspects restrict the number of workers able and willing to give home care.
The 10 Recommendations To Take Care Of Health Care Aid Providers
1: Home care workers should have a permit to personal protective equipment (PPE).
2:They and their patients should have regular COVID-19 testing.
3:People should give them full-time work with paid sick leave. Federal funds are required because most of the agencies of home care can’t cover these expenses.
4:Especially during a pandemic, they should have more flexibility as to how they provide service. Telehealth is currently permitted for home health agencies.
5:The Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) could widen the explanation of “home health” to add “personal care.” It will help people who are socially isolated and maybe free up the space in nursing homes. Presently, Medicare does not pay home care providers if they give only personal care (e.g., dressing, bathing).
6:CMS could broaden its description of “homebound” so that more of them could allow for home care services.
7:The government should enforce national funding for health workers.
8:More home care workers should be recruited, probably from industries knowing significant layoffs such as food and retail services. Training should be mandatory for their new positions.
9:With the necessities of an aging population evolving to be more complicated, home care workers perform more complicated tasks. When they are reserved for licensed practical nurses and registered nurses, home care workers need to get trained, compensated, and authorized as they do these jobs.
10:There is a severe shortage of training for home care providers. With this COVID-19 upon us, these new workers need a career ladder with development chances. For instance, these workers can get basic training with additional competencies and M.D. expertise.
Health Care Service Is A Bright Light During Covid
The home health advantage that Medicare and many other payers give includes a vast range of services provided in a patient’s home. These services include injections, rehabilitation, post-operative and physical therapy, intravenous, chronic wound care and nutrition therapy, etc.
These kinds of services can be life-saving for weak patients. Particularly those medicare patients who are at high risk of causing severe difficulties from Covid-19.
Pandemic has proven itself a healthcare invention stimulus, enhancing the home health care Aid industry’s advantages and growth ability.
The Future Of Home Health Care
The future of the home health industry is bright, but not without challenges.
These challenges include sudden home health agency confederation, and new funding needs to help the influx of needed technology.
Consolidation includes funding requirements, changing policy structure, and technology investments are some of the barriers that the home health care sector confronts in both the long and short term.
But as this home health care industry understands to function in a pandemic, There’s an excellent need for home-based care.
Conclusion
The effect of COVID-19 on Medicare home health services is not entirely acknowledged. More research is required on how COVID-19 influences home health use, especially for people suffering disparities in accessing care. Home health is well-placed to give services to people in their homes.
Health care service at their own homes is an increasingly essential care choice during the pandemic. Yet, the new design of the Medicare home health service is not enough to fulfill post-acute beneficiaries’ needs. Strategy options for dealing with this problem involve many things. That includes increasing salary for home health aides, reinforcing acceptable visits for improvement and monitoring.
Also, giving enhanced regulatory supervision; and increasing providers or professional health care assistants. A thorough evaluation of policy and rule alterations could benefit in recognizing any unintentional outcomes.
