Could Home Care Help?

Sandy Alexander • September 3, 2024

Have you or a loved one experienced:

  • A new diagnosis or exacerbation?
  • New medication or change in medication?
  • Recent hospitalization or ER visit?
  • A recent fall or difficulty with ambulation?
  • A need for speech or occupational therapy?
  • Skin breakdown requiring wound care or dressing changes?


If you’re caring for an aging parent or other family members with health care challenges, you’re not alone. It can be overwhelming for the entire family – especially if you don’t know where to turn for answers and support. Call one of our local offices to speak with a referral nurse. We are available to answer any questions you may have about home health criteria and whether your loved one qualifies.


Who is eligible to receive home care?

If under the Medicare benefit, you may be eligible to receive home health care if:

  • Your doctor prescribes home health care for you.
  • You need either skilled nursing care or therapy (physical and/or, occupational, and/or speech therapy) on an intermittent basis.
  • Your condition limits your ability to leave home, rendering you “homebound.”

Medicare requirements for homebound is considered requiring the aid of a supportive device, use of special transportation, or assistance of another to leave home. There must exist a normal inability to leave home, and leaving home requires a considerable and taxing effort.


Non-medical absences from home are acceptable as long as the absence is “infrequent and short in duration”. Some examples include attending a religious service, a trip to the barber, or a special family event.


Home health care allows you to manage your care at home. Our team works with your physician to develop a personalized plan that addresses your health care needs and helps you meet your goals. We can help you regain your prior level of function, maintain your independence, and improve your overall quality of life. Call our office today or check out our services page for more detailed information on how home care can help. 

A red heart with white polka dots and the words quality first home care

Home Health and Heart Month

By Sandy Alexander • September 3, 2024
Heart month falls in February with all of the Valentine’s Day treats. Don’t let the pressure to get the perfect gift raise your blood pressure! One holiday in February involves sweets and treats while the other recognizes healthy habits to prevent heart disease. Heart Failure is a condition resulting from the heart’s inability to pump enough blood throughout the body. Treatment involves monitoring and self-care at home. Diet, exercise, and medication are the keys to success. Home health cares for many patients facing heart disease and heart failure. We have unique expertise to train, support, and help you manage your heart disease at home and keep you from going to the hospital with complications. We work closely with your doctor to create a plan of care to help you self-manage at home. Our nurses have been trained in the signs and symptoms of heart failure disease processes and exacerbations. They will teach you about the disease process, and when to contact us in order to provide the best possible in-home care possible. What better way to show someone you love them this HEART month than offer life-giving advice on heart health? Share this article with someone you love and visit volunteerhomecare.com for more information about how Quality First Home Care helps you stay healthy at home.
A nurse is giving an elderly woman a bottle of pills.

Home Health is Often Misunderstood

By Sandy Alexander • September 3, 2024
One of the first things I learned about home health was how misunderstood the service is. Many object to having strangers in their home. Some people mistakenly think they can’t afford the care. Others are under the impression you have to be bed-bound or very restricted to have a nurse or therapist to perform a home visit. Let’s work together to unravel some of these misconceptions! Home health is a skilled service (meaning a nurse, therapist, or other clinicians) that provides care in the home under the direction of a doctor. There are many reasons why someone would need a nurse to come into their home. Medication management is one example of the care that can be provided by a home health agency. Imagine you leave your doctor’s office and head to the pharmacy to pick up your medications. On the way, you remember him mentioning you will need to take 1 pill twice a day and take a different medication at lunch and at bedtime. Yet another medication is to be taken with food, but only in the morning. Having multiple medications to manage, and remembering to take the correct dose at the correct time, can be very challenging. Especially if someone is dealing with a complicated illness such as congestive heart failure or diabetes. This is where home health care can help! Your doctor recognizes that you may need help managing all of these medications while also learning how to identify complications of your chronic illness. He or she has a good understanding of what home health can provide and will discuss the service with you. The doctor will then send a referral to a home health agency. Once the home care agency receives your referral and insurance information, they will start the process to begin care. The nurse will call you to schedule a time to visit your home. The nurse visiting your home will be highly skilled, caring and very compassionate. His or her main goal will be to help you stay safe and independent in your home. Our staff understands all of the struggles of life, and we want to help you get better. In most cases, home health care is referred to a Home Care Agency by a doctor, for a person who is enrolled in Traditional Medicare benefits. If this is the case, there is no co-pay or out of pocket costs for home care recipients. There is no need to worry about being able to afford skilled care in your home! To receive this Medicare benefit of home health care, you do need to be homebound. This requirement causes some confusion. Being homebound does not mean bedbound. Homebound means it is a taxing effort to leave home. An example of a taxing effort is: You have a friend or loved one drive you to your doctor’s appointment, and they help you get out of the car and into the doctor’s office. Even though you have left your “home”, you do not do this regularly; therefore, you still qualify to receive Home Health Services. Being homebound doesn’t mean you can never leave home, just that when you do, it is an effort to get around and complete your activity. Hopefully, these topics can help you start a conversation with a family member or even your healthcare provider. There are many resources available to help you in your home. The goal of home health is to help you gain independence, keep you healthy, and living at home so you can keep doing the things you love. Volunteer Home Care provides home health, private duty, and personal care services in twenty-nine counties throughout West and Middle Tennessee. To meet the needs of our patients, we support them, comfort them through each stage of illness, and empower them to make informed decisions. Our mission to CARE with SKILL AND COMPASSION is clearly lived through our dedicated staff and in our relationships with our healthcare providers.
A nurse is listening to an older man 's heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Pneumonia Care in Home Health

By Sandy Alexander • September 3, 2024
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. In the U.S., nearly 250,000 people are hospitalized with pneumonia each year, and about 50,000 die from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Identifying the signs and symptoms of pneumonia can help the patient take action and address concerns before there is an urgent need for hospitalization. Quality First Home Care’s skilled team of clinicians can help. Home health provides care to a patient who needs medical management. Pneumonia patients can suffer for weeks with symptoms and home health can make visits to assess their progression and monitor their oxygen levels and their oral medication intake, as well as assist them with their activities of daily living. Pneumonia in elderly adults can often be serious and progress quickly. In fact, pneumonia is the second leading cause for hospitalization of Medicare beneficiaries, and most of the people who die from pneumonia each year are elderly adults, according to the American Lung Association (ALA). Ask these questions to determine if the patient would benefit from home health: Is the patient Short of Breath (SOB) when walking, e.g., when they walk down the hall or going from room to room at home? Do you think they can safely climb stairs? Has the patient been ordered antibiotics to treat pneumonia at home? Which patients will need help with activities due to their shortness of breath? Which patients are going home without a caregiver, and are you concerned about their safety? How can Quality First Home Care help with Pneumonia Patients? Home Care Services for a Pneumonia Patient: Nursing Disease process education Respiratory Assessment Fall risk identification and reduction Medication Instruction Deep-breathing techniques Percussion, which is also known as Chest PT Oxygen saturation OT and PT Energy conservation for ADLs Home safety O2 management Home exercise program Energy Conservation Fall risk reduction If you are a provider, patient, or caregiver and need additional information, please contact your local branch office. You will find all of our locations and their direct phone numbers on our contact pages.
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