What types of home care services are available?

Home care services encompass a wide range of solutions designed to assist individuals—whether they are elderly, living with chronic conditions, or recovering from surgery—in receiving necessary support within a comfortable and safe home environment [2]. It is important for families in Jordan to understand these categories to assess individual health needs. Further regulatory details can be found in our dedicated guide on Home care services in Jordan: A comprehensive guide for families (Arabic).

Personal and Home Care Services

This category of services focuses on supporting the patient's daily independence within their home. Personal care includes direct assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as bathing, grooming, and dressing [2]. Additionally, non-medical services may include assistance with routine household tasks to ensure an appropriate living environment, such as cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, or arranging for meal delivery [2]. These services also include administrative support, such as help with organizing finances, paying bills, or filling out official forms, which reduces the burden on the patient or their family members [2].

Specialized Medical Care and Devices

This type of care requires qualified health personnel to provide direct clinical support. Home medical care includes monitoring health status, providing treatments via telehealth, and offering nursing assistance in managing complex medical devices [2]. Examples of such home devices include ventilators, glucose monitors, and infusion pumps that deliver medications, fluids, or nutrition directly to the body [1], [3]. These devices require a precise understanding of how to operate them, read screens, and handle alerts or error messages, in addition to the importance of safely disposing of sharp objects like needles in designated, puncture-resistant containers [1], [3].

Safety Guidelines and Training

The success of home care depends primarily on training and prior preparation. Patients and caregivers must receive hands-on training on how to operate any medical device and use it effectively [1], [3]. It is essential to keep the instruction manual for each device in an easily accessible place and to ensure that the dosages recorded in the prescription match the medication labels [1]. The home should also be assessed to ensure its suitability for the device, such as the availability of electrical connections or sufficient space for the equipment [3]. It is also recommended to establish an emergency plan that includes contact numbers for the attending physician and the device supplier, and to provide an alternative power source or spare batteries in case of a power outage [3].

When to Seek Emergency Care?

Despite the benefits of home care, the patient's condition must be monitored closely, and an ambulance should be called or the nearest emergency department visited immediately if serious symptoms appear, including: sudden difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, unexplained mental confusion, or signs of anaphylaxis [1]. Contact the physician if problems occur at the injection site, such as redness, swelling, pain, purulent discharge, or a foul odor, or if the device persistently malfunctions and cannot be resolved through basic troubleshooting steps [1].

Medical references

• Home Care Services
• Infusion Pumps: Tips for Using Your Pump at Home
• Brochure - Home Healthcare Medical Devices: A Checklist