What is Domiciliary healthcare?
A domiciliary healthcare refers to a variety of services that are designed to provide medical or therapeutic care in a home or private residence rather than at a medical facility like a hospital or nursing home. It allows patients to receive medical care, recover from illness or injury, and manage chronic conditions in the comfort of their own home.
Types of Home Healthcare Services
Medical Equipment and Supplies
Domiciliary Home Healthcare providers work to ensure patients have everything they need to continue recovery or manage their condition safely at home. This often includes things like wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, oxygen equipment, catheters, wound care supplies, and more. Medical equipment is assessed and fitted for each patient’s needs. Supplies are continually delivered and monitored.
Therapy Services
Physical, occupational and speech therapy can all be provided in the home. Therapists create customized treatment plans and deliver therapy sessions to help patients regain mobility, improve balance and coordination, address pain issues, or work on speech, swallowing and cognitive skills following illness, injury or surgery. Therapists make home visits to work directly with patients.
Skilled Nursing Care
Registered nurses provide high-level medical care like wound dressing changes, medication management, intravenous therapy (IV), injections, blood pressure checks and more. They monitor patients’ conditions, ensure treatment plans are being followed, coordinate with doctors and make adjustments as needed. Nurses often make regular home visits.
Personal Care Assistance
Home health aides help with activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, eating, using the bathroom and light housekeeping. They provide companionship and remind patients to take medications as scheduled. Aides are there to assist those who need help with daily personal care tasks as part of recovery or when managing an ongoing condition long-term.
Telehealth Services
Advances in telehealth technology have expanded the availability of domiciliary healthcare services. Remote patient monitoring allows things like blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate and more to be tracked at home and transmitted securely to healthcare providers. Telemedicine provides virtual visits with doctors and nurses via video calls.
Benefits of Home Healthcare
There are numerous benefits to receiving medical care, rehabilitation or long-term care services in the comfort of one’s home rather than in a facility:
Greater Comfort and Familiar Surroundings
Being in one’s own home surrounded by familiar people, pets, belongings and routines provides psychological comfort that aids in recovery. Patients generally feel less stressed, anxious or depressed.
Increased Independence and Mobility
Patients can move about their home on their own schedule with whatever mobility aids are needed. This promotes greater independence and improved functional ability long-term.
Avoid Risks of Hospitalization
Staying home reduces risks of hospital-acquired infections, accidental injury from falls or mix-ups, and exposure to illnesses carried by other patients and visitors. Medical errors are less likely.
More Cost-Effective Option
Domiciliary healthcare is typically much more affordable for both public and private payers compared to the high daily costs of hospitalization or long-term facility care. This saves money for individuals, insurers and taxpayers.
Family Involvement in Care
Loved ones are able to be closely involved in a person’s care at home. This provides both medical and emotional support that speeds recovery and eases anxiety. Cultural customs can be better observed.
Transition from Hospital to Home
Domiciliary healthcare facilitates a smoother transition when discharged earlier from the hospital after surgery or an illness. Therapy, nursing care and monitoring are continued at home.
Who Can Benefit from Home Healthcare?
Nearly anyone can benefit from domiciliary healthcare services when clinical and safety criteria are met. Common situations include:
– Individuals recovering from surgery, injury or severe illness who still need medical care or rehabilitation.
– People with chronic diseases like congestive heart failure, diabetes, lung disease, dementia who need monitoring, therapy or personal assistance.
– Elderly adults who can no longer fully care for themselves due to functional limitations or medical complications.
– Children with special healthcare needs related to prematurity, birth defects, genetic or neurological disorders.
– Anyone who would otherwise require nursing home or long-term care facility placement but can be safely served at home with support.
Paying for Home Healthcare Services
Most major insurances including Medicare and Medicaid cover many domiciliary healthcare services when a doctor has determined they are medically necessary. Coverage criteria and limitations vary. Out-of-pocket costs depend on insurance plan details like deductibles, copays and coinsurance amounts.
Private pay is also an option for those who do not have or exhaust their insurance benefits. Many home care agencies offer flat-rate daily, weekly or monthly charges for packages of services like skilled nursing, therapy, aide visits and medical equipment rentals.
Some communities have non-profit organizations or charitable programs to assist low-income, disabled or elderly residents with getting needed domiciliary healthcare support funded through donations and grants when insurance does not cover everything required.
Overall, more patients are choosing domiciliary healthcare every year to maximize their independence and quality of life while receiving medical, rehabilitative or long-term care. With the right services in place, one’s home truly can be a healing place.