Medical Vs Non-Medical Home Care: What You Should Know

When the time comes to seek out care services for yourself or for someone you love, you will likely feel yourself overwhelmed with all of the choices. Ranging from home care to assisted living and nursing home care, your choices are many and varied. Once you narrow it down and decide on home care services from a company like ComForcare Home Care - New Orleans, you are faced with yet another choice. Home care comes in two distinct varieties, medical and non-medical. In order to make the right decision for you or your loved one, you need to know all of the facts about each type of home care service. Then, you can make the right decision for your situation. 

What Are Medical Home Services?

Medical home services are care services that are provided by a nurse, certified nursing assistant, or medication aid (under the supervision of a nurse and/or doctor). These professionals can provide a wide range of assistance. 

Medical home caregivers can check vital signs, administer medication, change IV bags, and provide wound care. They also provide clients with companionship, perineal care, and general home assistance.  

Following severe injuries that require wound care and rehabilitation, medical home assistance is often necessary for proper monitoring. 

What Are Non-Medical Home Services?

Non-medical home services can, but do not need, to be provided by a person with medical training such as a certified nursing assistant. These caregivers are often hired primarily for companionship and for assistance with daily living tasks such as getting dressed and undressed, bathing, cooking, cleaning, and perineal care. They may also be hired to drive clients to and from appointments and run errands on behalf of the client. 

Because non-medical caregivers are not trained to provide medical care in any form, they are not allowed to do so. For example, if you have arthritis or some other condition that makes fine and/or gross motor functions difficult, you may not be able to clean a cut, apply antibiotic ointment and properly place a bandage on the wound.

A non-medical caregiver is not allowed to provide these services to you. They can assist you by guiding your hands, but cannot perform the task for you. While this may seem strange to you, it is because these non-medical caregivers are not required to have first aid certification or training. Additionally, the non-medical home care company is not insured should something go wrong from such medical assistance. 

However, if you do not have such physical issues or require regular medical assistance, non-medical care services can provide you with all of the care you need and tend to cost less that services provided by medical professionals.

When it comes to choosing the right home care service for you or your family, it is important to understand the distinction between medical and non-medical home care and choose accordingly. So, keep the differences in mind as you work on your decision. 


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