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What is Community Home Care?
Community Based Home Care Is a Growing Need
Community based home care is a rapidly-growing segment of community care services. This service is found in independent senior communities, apartments and cluster homes (i.e., over-55 communities) where the residents are mostly healthy and have minimal need of health care or personal care assistance for their well being, mostly capable of self care. It can help fill in the gaps between general services like housekeeping and laundry, and can also help couples continue to live together when one needs more assistance than the other can provide.
Caregivers working in community based home health care are scheduled to work shifts in the community by their agency. Their daily assignments include short visits to several clients, some more than once during their shift. If there are gaps between their client visits, they’re still paid for the full duration of their shift.
Community Based Home Care vs Traditional Home Care
Community based home care is different from traditional home care, where one caregiver provides service to one client in their home over an extended period of time. Both types of home health care provide non-medical services and daily activities to the elderly and infirm such as help bathing, dressing, taking medications, using the bathroom and completing household tasks. Some agencies also offer pet care and help with transportation and various errands.
While community care offers the same tasks by home health aides as traditional care, caregivers are assigned very differently (see illustration below).
Traditional Home Care |  One Caregiver |  One Client | Visit Model:
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Community Based Home Care |  Many Caregivers |  Many Clients | Visit Model:
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As with traditional home care, Community Based Home Care’s goal is to provide services that promote the clients’ highest level of independence. Since many senior communities provide varying levels of meal service, housekeeping and laundry, these visits can be of short duration which makes this service very cost effective for the clients. Community Based Home Care also helps couples to continue to live together when one needs more assistance than the other one can provide. It is an additional level of support available to seniors that may avoid or prolong the need for Assisted Living level of care.
Short Home Health Visits Return A Big Impact
Community based home care services are provided in short visits typically lasting 15, 30 or 45 minutes. Some agencies offer visits that are even shorter for clients needing help with one or two simple tasks.
What can caregivers do in such a brief period of time? During a five-to-seven-minute visit, home health aides can help a client take their medication or assist an otherwise-independent client with home health care tasks such as aiding with their compression hose or orthopedic brace.
Filling Service Gaps In Necessary Personal Care
Community based home care is a great option for seniors who need some help, but don’t need or want the level of assistance that assisted living facilities offer.