This article examines how assisted living programs differ from home health care as to costs and the types of services that are provided to the elderly. Just like the former, home health care is also provided for older people who are unable to perform certain activities that are necessary in daily living. They may need assistance in preparing their meals, taking a bath, cooking, dressing, or even toileting. An aide is made available and assists the retiree on the performance of these tasks. Regular visits by physical therapists and/or nurses may also be provided if their health requires it. All of these are done while the elderly person is at home. However, in assisted living programs, the retiree lives in a retirement living community.

An important difference between the two kinds of services is whether Medicare can be used. In general, Medicare cannot be used to cover for assisted living costs unless the resident is required to stay in a nursing or rehabilitation facility for a certain period of time. However, for some states, such as in RI and in Kansas, Medicaid can be utilized for a certain percentage of the costs. As for home health care, Medicare can cover certain types of expenses, such as the purchase of durable medical equipment including a wheelchair or walker, physical therapy, medical social services, some medical supplies, skilled nursing care and the services of home health aide.

It should be noted that the primary difference between home health care and assisted living programs is that the latter is designed for the elderly who need more supervision. Some people may think that those who live at home have more independence compared to those who are staying in a retirement community. However, some assisted living facilities offer accommodations that are not different from a regular home and sometimes they are even better because there is no neighbor playing the radio so loud. Moreover, some conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, require constant supervision and home health care is definitely not recommended for them.

While it may seem at first glance that home health care is cheaper than assisted living programs, the reverse is true. The latter kind of arrangement is less expensive and costs about half of the expenses required for home health care. Fortunately, Medicare can cover some of the costs in home health care and the elderly enjoys the benefit of remaining at home. Meanwhile, Medicare will not cover assisted living expenses but they are only half the cost of home health care. Moreover, Medicaid can take care of some of the costs in some states. There are many arguments that can be provided for having the advantage of staying at home. However, there are also several benefits for staying in a retirement community. For one, residents find it easier to socialize and interact with other people. Those who remain at home have less chances of socializing and run the risk of boredom and loneliness. Of course, the final choice will depend on the person and what he or she values most.

A Nurse Practitioner is one of the most important professions in the health care industry. A NP is someone who was once a Registered Nurse but went on to receive a graduate level education to become a practitioner. What I mean by graduate level is either a Master’s degree or Doctoral degree. The men and women who endeavor into this career will be joining a profession that has been around for over 60 years now. These former RNs have been prepped through advanced education and advanced clinical training to be able to provide preventive and acute health care services to individuals of any age. Because of all this advanced training they are able to diagnose and treat illnesses.

Practitioners can prescribe medications, treat ailments and they can administer physical exams to patients. The way that practitioners are different from actual MDs is that a practitioner focuses on prevention, wellness and education of a specific patient whereas a MD works with many patients at once. Practitioners specialize in a number of particular health care areas such as adult care, family care, pediatric care, neonatal care, school/college clinical care, geriatric care, women’s health care, and psychiatric or mental health care. For 60 years, the Nurse Practitioner has been hurdling over the barriers that have been put in front of them in the health care industry.

NPs are allowed to practices in a huge array of places that can be both urban and rural. Places such as private offices, walk in clinics, community clinics, health departments, school/college clinics, hospitals, home health care agencies, nursing homes, and also health maintenance organizations. Depending on the state, practitioners can work practically anywhere that will employ them. Being in this position means being able to work collaboratively with others so that patient care is done correctly. As a practitioner, you able to obtain medical histories and perform physical examinations, practitioners can provide immunizations and other preventative child care treatments, and they can diagnose illnesses and treat them under the supervision of a physician.

Some more tasks of an NP is that they can identify diseases, treat diseases and manage those diseases that are chronic such as acne, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and even patients who have HIV/AIDS. A Nurse Practitioner has the privilege of being able to provide prescriptions for patients who need medication, and the biggest privilege in my opinion that they have that RNs don’t is being able to perform patient procedures such as biopsies and sutures. This is a very fulfilling and rewarding career that will introduce you to a lot of new things and experiences.