United Hospital Fund Report Examines Ramifications of Eligible Adults Refusing Prescribed Home Health Care
The report includes a fear of losing control and privacy, concerns about finances, and the belief that family caregivers alone were both skilled and had time enough to do the job as reasons for folks refusing home care.
According to the study, in most cases, people resist home care to their own detriment. Those who refused home health care were twice as likely as those who accepted it to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 or 60 days, the report found. Home health care workers, who include nurses, physical and occupational therapists and social workers, use a variety of interpersonal skills and professional expertise to create those conditions, beginning with educating the patient and family caregivers about the illness or injury at hand, and being mindful of symptoms that indicate a worsening condition...