When Home Is the Best Place for Healing Home Health 

Samaritan Home Health Services offers: 

• Nursing services, including wound care
• Physical, occupational and speech therapy
• Medical social work
• Nutritional therapy
• Home health aides
• Collaboration with other Samaritan Health Services, including medical supplies and oxygen, pharmacy, home infusion, nutrition and integrative medicine
• Ongoing patient assessment with referrals to other services as needed

Receiving medical services at home can aid in the recovery from injury or illness, particularly for seniors, people with disabilities and those recovering from surgery. You have heard the terms “home health” and “in-home” care used interchangeably, but there is a difference between them. Home Health care services are often covered by a personal health insurance policy or Medicare. Samaritan Home Health provides skilled care, not in home care services.

Home Health Care provides professional medical services in a patient’s home. A patient is unable to leave home for a doctor’s appointment or other treatment. With Home Health, the medical professionals come to you. These professionals include:

• Nurses
• Physical therapists
• Occupational therapists
• Speech therapists
• Social Workers
• In-Home Care

In-home care provides non-medical services to help people with their daily activities, including:

• Preparing meals
• Companionship
• Housekeeping, laundry, errands and shopping
• Transportation

In-Home care services are not covered by insurance or Medicare, and are paid out-of-pocket.

Your doctor can help determine if home health care is right for you and can make a referral. Medicare requires a patient to be homebound in order to receive home health services. Homebound means that you are not able to safely leave your home without a “taxing” effort. It does not mean “bed bound.” Homebound patients may leave their home for doctor’s appointments, church services or special occasions. However, it is physically “taxing” to do so and requires the help of others.

Who is eligible for home health care? 

Individuals must qualify as “homebound” for home health services through most insurance plans or Medicare. 

How do you know if you are “homebound"?

Someone who is homebound is unable to leave the home due to an illness or injury. He or she endures “considerable and taxing effort” in order to leave home. He or she leaves home infrequently and for short periods of time to receive medical care that cannot be provided in the home. 

How can someone receive services? 

A physician makes a referral to begin the process to determining eligibility. A person must have seen the referring physician within the past 90 days to be considered. 

What if I need help with housework, grocery shopping or getting to appointments? 

While these are legitimate needs, they are not covered by home health care. We are happy to provide information for in-home service providers in the area. 

What can we help you with in the home setting?

• Physical, occupational and speech therapy
• Home health aides
• Medical social work to assist and coordinate with local resources, long term planning and financial burden
• Nursing care, including wounds, IV medication and maintenance, medication teaching, disease management, feeding tubes and catheters, post operative surgical sites, unstable medical conditions and caregiver training

Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments Senior and Disability Services

Medicare and Medicaid - Information about benefits for people age 65 and older

US Department of Veterans Affairs - Learn about benefits available to American veterans in need of home health care services

National Association for Home Care and Hospice - Patient resources and the latest news about home health care