Compare Care Options
Home Care vs. Home Health Care in San Antonio
Two services, similar names, completely different purposes. Confusing them costs families time and money.
Home care is non-medical help with daily living provided by caregivers and paid for privately. Home health care is skilled, medically necessary care ordered by a physician and delivered by licensed clinicians such as nurses and therapists, often covered by Medicare for a limited period. Many families need both at different times.
The core difference
Home care (non-medical)
Caregivers assist with bathing, dressing, meals, housekeeping, transportation, supervision, and companionship. No physician order is required, care can begin quickly, and it can continue for years. It is usually paid privately or through long-term care insurance.
Home health care (skilled and clinical)
Licensed clinicians provide wound care, injections, disease management, physical or occupational therapy, and clinical assessments. It requires a physician's order, is tied to a documented medical need, and is generally intermittent and short-term.
Side-by-side comparison
- Who provides it: caregivers and aides vs. nurses and licensed therapists
- What triggers it: family need vs. a physician's order
- Typical duration: ongoing, months or years vs. a defined episode of weeks
- Frequency: scheduled hourly shifts vs. intermittent short visits
- Common payer: private pay or long-term care insurance vs. Medicare or health insurance when criteria are met
- Focus: daily living and safety vs. treatment and recovery
Which one does your family need?
Ask what problem you are solving. If the problem is that your father cannot shower safely, is skipping meals, and has no ride to appointments, that is home care. If the problem is a surgical wound that needs dressing changes, new insulin management, or rehab exercises after a stroke, that is home health, and it starts with his physician.
A very common San Antonio scenario: a parent is discharged from a Medical Center area hospital with short-term skilled home health visits for therapy, while the family arranges daily non-medical home care for the months that follow. The skilled episode ends. The daily need does not.
An important clarification about this website
This site provides information about non-medical in-home care and connects families with a care coordinator. It is not a home health agency, is not Medicare-certified, and does not provide skilled nursing, therapy, or any medical treatment. If a physician has ordered skilled home health, ask the hospital discharge planner or your physician for certified home health agencies serving Bexar County.
Frequently asked questions
Keep reading
Talk through your options with a care coordinator
Tell us what is happening at home in San Antonio and we will explain which type of in-home care fits, what it typically involves, and what to expect next.