Compare Care Options
Private Duty Nursing vs. Non-Medical Home Care
Some needs genuinely require a licensed nurse. Most daily needs do not.
Private duty nursing is skilled care delivered at home by a licensed nurse, typically paid privately, for clinical needs such as ventilator management, complex wound care, injections, or infusion. Non-medical home care is caregiver support with daily living. The deciding question is whether the task legally requires a nursing license.
What private duty nursing covers
- Ventilator and tracheostomy management
- Complex wound care and dressing changes
- Medication administration, including injections and infusion therapy
- Feeding tube management
- Ongoing clinical assessment and monitoring of an unstable condition
What non-medical home care covers
- Bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting
- Meals, hydration, and light housekeeping
- Mobility support, transfers, and fall-risk awareness
- Medication reminders, not administration
- Transportation, errands, supervision, and companionship
How to tell which one you need
Write down every task on the list. If any single task requires a licensed clinician to perform legally, you need a nursing service for that task. Everything else on the list is almost certainly non-medical care.
Families frequently discover that one clinical task, such as a weekly dressing change, can be handled by an ordered home health visit or a clinic appointment, while the twenty hours a week of real daily need is non-medical. That combination is usually far more affordable than staffing a nurse for hours of non-clinical work.
Important disclosure
This website provides information about non-medical in-home care only. It does not provide private duty nursing, skilled nursing, or any licensed medical service, and it is not a home health agency or Medicare-certified provider. If a licensed nurse is required, ask your physician or hospital discharge planner for licensed private duty nursing providers serving San Antonio and Bexar County.
Frequently asked questions
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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.