There is a growing trend of older adults who prefer to age in place at home. Home Care and Hospice Care can help make this preference a reality, improving quality of life and avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations.
Home Care & Hospice play important roles in the continuum of aging services offered by Lutheran Senior Services (LSS). From administrators to clinicians to social workers and volunteers – these team members bring compassionate, world-class health care into the homes of older adults, as well as provide end-of-life support.
With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the need for health care will continue to rise, and costs will continue to skyrocket. As the preferred choice for most patients, Home Care and Hospice offer cost savings. For example, Medicare pays nearly $2,000 per day for a typical hospital stay and $450 per day for a typical nursing home stay. Meanwhile, Home Care costs less than $100 a day and helps many people remain independent at home and close to those they love.
While recognized for our Life Plan and Affordable Housing communities, LSS also provides a full array of services available to older adults wherever they call home. LSS has been proudly delivering Home Health and Home Care since 2003, Hospice Care since 2007, and introduced a Palliative Care program in 2023.
With so many options, understanding which home care service you need can be confusing. Following are some quick facts about each:
- Health Care: Sometimes called Home Health, this short-term, in-home skilled service is covered by Medicare or insurance. Registered nurses, licensed therapists, social workers, and home health aides provide services to patients in their home to help them recover after an illness, hospitalization, or injury.
- Home Care: This can also be called Private Duty. This customizable private pay in-home option matches a patient with a caregiver. This service is helpful for older adults living alone who need some extra support. It is also great for family caregivers who need to leave the home to work or take care of other responsibilities. Each client has an individual care plan. Care can be provided for a few hours a week up to 24 hours a day.
- Hospice Care: This special type of care is for people with life-limiting illnesses. A Hospice Care team of nurses, social workers, and chaplains provide holistic care in the comfort of one’s home. Services include personalized pain and symptom management, encouragement, education, as well as spiritual support and grief counseling. The LSS approach focuses on empowering patients to experience their end-of-life in the comfort of their own homes or in the setting of their choice, surrounded by their loved ones.
- Palliative Care: This is comfort care for patients with chronic serious illness. Palliative care meets each patient where they are and offers a combination of both curative and comfort care treatments. Palliative care is provided one-on-one by a nurse practitioner.
LSS team members provide each of these services with dedication to help each person through their unique situation and live life to the fullest.
For more information on LSS Hospice, Palliative Care, Home Health Care, or Home Care (Private Duty) services, please reach out to our Aging Answers Information line at 314.446.2475.