When you’re visiting with physicians and care planning teams about the next steps in your care, you want to be fully aware of your situation. At Santé, it is our goal to ensure that our patients have a complete understanding of their condition, their care plan, and their next steps. In this post we’ll elaborate on what it means to be “homebound” and how our team can help you when you can’t get away for onsite treatment.
Homebound Criteria
In order to be deemed homebound, a patient generally needs to meet two common criteria:
- The patient requires assistance equipment to leave home, such as a wheelchair. This makes leaving home for appointments and care challenging.
- Leaving home could worsen the patient’s medical condition. This may be applicable when the patient is weak, has difficulty breathing, has a weakened immune system, or has another physical disability that could worsen with a trip to the clinic.
Why Homebound Determinations Are Made
Doctors consider whether a patient is homebound when making decisions about their care. Homebound patients may be eligible for additional services covered by their insurance company. Services that are often available to homebound patients vary depending on needs but may include hospice care at home, physical and occupational therapy at home, skilled nursing services at home, caregiver assistance at home, or light housekeeping at home.
Length Of Designation
Patients may be considered homebound temporarily due to injuries and illnesses like a broken bone, recent surgery, or pneumonia. In some cases, patients are permanently homebound due to chronic medical conditions such as advanced COPD, progressing multiple sclerosis, cancer, or end of life.
Services available at home
Santé offers a variety of services to homebound patients including:
- Skilled nursing services such as medication and treatment administration
- Certified caregiver services including assistance with bathing and dressing
- Physical and occupational therapy at home
- Hospice care for patients experiencing end of life
At Santé, our caring and compassionate staff is here for you when you need us most. To learn more about services for homebound patients, contact us at Santé today.