Home Health Assessments

A home health assessment is an essential tool for identifying the roadblocks that make it dangerous for older adults to live at home. The specialists in private in-home care at Elevation Homecare in Newtown, Pennsylvania, perform comprehensive home health assessments. After identifying any concerns, they offer detailed recommendations for services that support your ability to safely enjoy your days in the home you love. If you have questions or want to learn more about home health assessments, call the office or request an appointment online today.

What is a home health assessment?

The purpose of a home health assessment is to support your ability to live at home. Your Elevation Homecare provider first identifies any safety and health risks, and then they create a plan to correct the problems and provide the in-home services needed to support your quality of life.

What happens during a home health assessment?

Home health assessments are comprehensive because it’s essential to learn about every potential risk and hazard facing you and your loved one.

The basics of a home health assessment include:

• Reviewing your medical history
• Getting a list of current medications
• Learning about physical abilities and challenges
• Evaluating your mental status (memory and cognition)
• Identifying potential mental health and behavioral concerns
• Recognizing nutritional concerns
• Learning about social activities (hobbies, friends, etc)
• Assessing your ability to walk and move through the house
• Detecting home safety issues
• Learning about financial concerns

Safety issues in the home may include throw rugs and other tripping hazards like narrow pathways between furniture, low lighting, being unable to get in and out of chairs or beds, and needing safety or assistive features in the bathroom or kitchen.

What daily activities are included in a home health assessment?

Your Elevation Homecare provider carefully evaluates you or your loved one’s ability to safely and effectively perform activities of daily living (ADLs).

ADLs include (but aren’t limited to):

• Bathing or showering
• Toileting
• Personal grooming
• Dressing
• Eating and cooking
• Doing laundry
• Walking with good balance
• Grocery shopping
• Using a phone
• Doing light housework
• Driving

Your provider also learns about your concerns and expectations so their recommendations can honor your needs and support your goals.

What happens after a home health assessment?

After completing your assessment, your Elevation Homecare provider may talk with you about the problems they identified. However, they also go back to the office, complete a detailed report, and then schedule a time to return to your home and go over the results.

In addition to outlining any problems, their report also includes recommendations for solving the issues. Some recommendations may cover safety improvements to your house; others may be for in-home services. 

If you have questions or would like to schedule a home health assessment, call Elevation Homecare or request an appointment online today.