Home care can refer to
health care provided in the home by
health care professionals (often referred to as home
health care or formal care) or by family and
friends (informal care). Estimates for the
US is that most home
care is of the informal variety with families and
friends providing substantial amounts of care, including very high tech kinds of
care as well as simpler assistance with bathing or dressing. For formal care, the
health care professionals most often involved are
nurses followed by
physical therapists[?] and home
care aides. Other
health care providers include occupational and respiratory therapists, medical
social workers and
mental health workers. In the US, home
health care is generally paid for by private employer-sponsored
health insurance or public payers (
Medicare and
Medicaid).
