Home Health and Hospice Create Independence at Home

Posted: Nov. 2, 2017

Washington, DC, October 31, 2017 — November is National Home Care and Hospice Month and agencies and caregivers across the United States are raising awareness about the unique and irreplaceable value of health care delivered in the home. Home health care is high-quality care that empowers patients to take control of their own care and treatment while remaining independent and at home, where 90 percent of Americans want to be while dealing with chronic illness.

Home care provides compassionate, personalized, and technologically advanced health care to millions of Americans every year. The people who work in home care are uniquely devoted to the health and well-being of their patients, a fact demonstrated by the 7.6 billion miles home care providers traveled in 2016 alone to provide quality care in the home. Home Care Aide Week takes place November 12-18 and we hope everyone will join us in honoring these compassionate, tireless workers who play an invaluable role for their clients as caregivers, companions, and friends.

”Home care and hospice services are critical to our health care system today and will be even more important in the years to come,” said William A. Dombi, President of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). “Every day, nearly two million dedicated caregivers provide essential services to over 12 million vulnerable seniors, persons with disabilities, and children in their homes. We call upon all Americans to honor the power and value of home care and hospice and to applaud the hard work and sacrifice made by these caregivers every day across America.”

With ten thousand Americans turning 65 every day, the need for health care will continue to rise, and costs will continue to skyrocket. Not only is home care the preferred choice for the vast majority of Americans, it also offers the greatest cost savings. For example, Medicare pays nearly $2,000 per day for a typical hospital stay and about $450 per day for a typical nursing home stay. Home care, however, often costs less than $100 per visit and permits patients to remain at home, with their families and loved ones. Home care helps the many U.S. seniors who live at home to stay independent, enrich their lives, and keep in touch with their communities and those they love.

Throughout November NAHC and home care and hospice providers will wage a public campaign to inform the public and policymakers about the impact of home health and hospice on the people in their communities and the value it brings to the entire country. We will have key facts, images, videos and articles about home care and hospice you can view and distribute on social media to spread the message.

For more information about the home care, hospice, Home Care & Hospice Month, Home Care Aide Week (November 12-18, 2017), and NAHC, visit nahc.org.