Home care vs. home health: what's the difference?
The two names sound alike, and families often use them interchangeably. They are different kinds of care, provided by different people, paid for in different ways, and licensed separately in Texas.
The short answer
Home care (also called personal care or non-medical care) helps someone with the everyday activities of living, like bathing, dressing, meals and moving safely around the house. Home health is medical care in the home, such as nursing or physical therapy, that a doctor orders.
Many families use both: a home health nurse visits a few times a week, and a caregiver helps with daily life in between.
| Home care (non-medical) | Home health (medical) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Help with everyday living: bathing, dressing, meals, getting around, company. | Medical care at home, ordered by a doctor: nursing, therapy, wound care, injections. |
| Who provides it | Trained caregivers (personal attendants). | Registered nurses, therapists and home health aides working under them. |
| Do you need a doctor’s order? | No. You or your family decide. | Yes. A physician orders and signs off on the care plan. |
| How long | As long as it helps: a few hours a week to daily care. | Usually short term, while recovering from an illness, injury or hospital stay. |
| Who pays | Usually private pay; some long-term care insurance policies reimburse it. | Often Medicare, Medicaid or health insurance, when you qualify. |
| Texas license | Personal Assistance Services (what Accord holds). | Licensed Home Health Services, or Licensed and Certified Home Health. |
Does Medicare pay for home care?
Generally, no. Medicare can cover home health when a doctor orders it and you qualify, but it does not pay for personal care when that is the only help someone needs. That is why most home care is private pay. If you have long-term care insurance, check your policy, because many cover personal care at home.
How Texas licenses them
In Texas, both are licensed by the Health and Human Services Commission as Home and Community Support Services Agencies, in different categories. An agency may only provide the services its license category allows. You can ask any agency which category it holds.
Which one do we provide?
Accord Personal Care provides non-medical home care. We are licensed in the Personal Assistance Services category, license No. 025240. We do not provide nursing, therapy or other medical services. If you need those, your doctor can refer you to a home health agency, and our caregivers can support your loved one alongside them.
Not sure what kind of help is right? Call us and we will talk it through, with no obligation.