Home Health
Home health is for senior citizens and provides in home, non medical companionship, recreation, and assistance to those who choose to live in their homes instead of going to assisted living homes or senior citizen apartments. If the individual is capable to stay at home and be alone safely without putting their lives in danger, they have the right to do it. If the individual is mentally and physically able to take care of themselves or at least with minimal assistance, they should be allowed to do it. It has been reported that senior citizens may live longer if they are allowed to stay in their homes for as long as their health or mental does not put them in danger. Home care workers are hired to go to these peoples homes and assist them by doing duties such as housekeeping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, washing windows, visiting with the patients, feeding them if needed, bathing, activities and recreation to help keep the patient active, arts and crafts, grocery shopping, medication reminders, errand services, and more. These home care workers do what family members do not have time to do or sometimes the patient does not have any family to visit them. It has been proven that the patient’s health is much better with less stress than those who are in rest homes or assisted living homes. The patient feels more secure if they are around their own possessions and the surroundings are familiar to them. This gives them a more independent feeling and a feeling that they are still in control of their lives. Many of them just like their own privacy and where better to get it than in their own homes.
Licensing requirements for home health care will vary from state to state and there are many different home health care provider centers across the United States. Justices of the Supreme Court say that home health care workers do not deserve minimum wages because it is just another form of babysitting. This is a lot of bunk and the laws need to be changed. There is a lot of responsibility to these jobs and it is very hard to find people who will work this type of job. They have to be very caring people and be prepared for some very dirty work if the need arises. The Supreme court claims that the workers are not entitled to any overtime even though in some cases the worker may have to spend the night at the patients home. The Supreme Court says it is up to Congress to change the laws that have been in effect since the Fair Labor Standards Act was first enacted in 1938.
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