Sickness, long term disabilities or accidents involving ourselves or our relatives all cause anxiety and the need for health care treatment.  Home care brings help to your residence. Most people eat better, sleep better, and feel better in the comfort and privacy of their own home.
 

A wide variety of health care services can be provided in the home.  Nursing and home care aide services are the most common.  Other services may include physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, medical social work, pharmacy services, home medical equipment supplies and hospice services.  Depending upon the kind of care needed and reimbursement means, the service may or may not be prescribed by your family physician.  Normally patient and family have greater control over the care provided.
 

When seeking services from a home care company, one must ask the question, are all home care organizations alike?  The answer is, "NO".  The quality of home care can differ significantly from one organization to another.  There are several thousand public and private organizations nationwide with new ones opening up every day.  As a protection to the consumer many states have established licensure laws governing these types of companies. 
 

Another form of consumer protection is that of voluntary accreditation.  Standards of care are based upon the consensus of professionals of those elements that should exist in home care organizations that have "gone the extra mile" to assure quality.  Accreditation is a means of measuring the organizational management, internal practices and service outcomes.  Most home care companies are good and deserve your trust.  However, organizations that have earned accreditation usually are most serious about maintaining the quality of services and products that it provides.  Many insurance companies consider it an important means of measuring quality and are increasingly making accreditation a requirement for providers.
 

A few national accrediting organizations have programs that focus on the quality of healthcare.  These include, but are not limited to: the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), Oakbrook Terrace, IL;  the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP), New York, NY;  the Accreditation Commission for Home Care, Inc.(ACHC) Raleigh, NC;  the National Committe for Quality Assurance, (NCQA) Washington DC;  and the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission/URAC, Washington DC.   All of the accrediting organizations have the common goal to stimulate home care providers to achieve higher standards in providing care and services.