Home Health vs. Home Care vs. Hospice

Reviewed by Ylmard Grimaldi, LVN
Last reviewed: October 5, 2026

Home health, home care, and hospice can sound alike. But they are three different kinds of care. This guide explains each one in plain words, so you can talk with your doctor about which might fit.

The short answer

• Home health is medical care at home from nurses and therapists. A doctor orders it. It helps you get better or manage an illness.
• Home care is help with daily tasks, like bathing, meals, and chores. It is not medical care. People often pay for it themselves.
• Hospice is comfort care for a person with a serious illness near the end of life. The goal is comfort, not cure.

Home health

• Nurses and therapists come to your home for short visits.
• A doctor or other allowed provider must order it. The care follows a care plan.
• It may include:
  • Skilled nursing, like wound care, checking on a serious illness, or teaching about medicines.
  • Physical therapy to help you walk and move safely.
  • Occupational therapy to help with daily tasks, like dressing.
  • Speech therapy to help with talking or understanding words.
  • Medical social work and part-time aide care, as part of the care plan.
• The goal is to help you heal, get stronger, or manage a health problem at home.
• Care is part-time. It is not care around the clock.
• Medicare may pay for it if you meet its rules. For example, you must be "homebound." This means leaving home is very hard for you. If you qualify, you pay $0 for covered home health services.
• Medi-Cal and other health plans may cover it, too. Rules can differ by plan.

Home care (personal care)

• A caregiver helps with everyday tasks. This may also be called "personal care," "custodial care," or "private duty care."
• Help may include:
  • Bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom.
  • Making meals.
  • Light housework, laundry, and shopping.
  • Company and supervision.
• A doctor's order is often not needed.
• Visits can be a few hours a day, or longer.
• Medicare does not pay for this kind of help when it is the only help you need.
• Many people pay for it themselves. Some long-term care insurance plans may help. Some people may get help through state programs, like Medi-Cal. Ask a social worker or your plan.

Hospice

• Hospice is for a person with a serious illness who is near the end of life.
• It is used when the goal is comfort, not cure. Treatment to cure the illness stops.
• A hospice team helps control pain and other symptoms. It also helps the family.
• Hospice can be given at home, in a nursing home, in a hospital, or in a hospice center.
• For Medicare to pay, a doctor must say the person is expected to live 6 months or less if the illness runs its usual course.
• The person (or their family) chooses hospice. They can choose to stop hospice at any time.
• Hospice is different from home health. Home health aims to help you get better or manage an illness.
• If you have questions about hospice, talk with your doctor.

Side by side

Which one might fit?

Home health might fit if:

• You just came home from the hospital or a rehab stay.
• You need a nurse to check a wound, a new medicine, or a health problem.
• You need therapy to walk, move, or talk better.
• Leaving home is very hard for you.

Home care might fit if:

• You mostly need help with bathing, dressing, meals, or chores.
• You do not need a nurse or therapist right now.
• You need someone with you for safety for part of the day.

Hospice might fit if:

• A doctor says a serious illness is near its end.
• The goal is now comfort, not cure.

Some people need more than one kind of care. For example, a person may get home health visits and also pay for a caregiver to help with daily tasks. Your doctor or a social worker can help you sort it out.

How to get started

• Talk with your doctor. Ask, "What kind of care at home is right for me (or my loved one)?"
• In the hospital? Ask the discharge planner before you go home.
• You have a say in which home health agency you use.
• Newstart Home Health Inc provides skilled home health services only. We do not provide private-pay home care or hospice. To learn more, see our services page or call 818-459-3676.

Questions to ask

Ask the doctor

• Do I need skilled care from a nurse or therapist?
• Do I meet the rules for home health?
• Would home care, home health, or both help me?
• Who can help my family plan for care at home?

Ask any agency

• What kind of care do you give?
• Will a doctor's order be needed?
• Who pays for this care? Will any of it cost us money?
• Can you tell us the costs in writing?

Related pages

• Our Services
• Skilled Nursing
• Certified Home Health Aides
• Get Started
• What Medicare Home Health Covers (and What It Doesn't)
• How to Ask for a Home Health Agency by Name

Sources

1. Medicare.gov (CMS). "Home health services." https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services (checked Oct 5, 2026, PT)
2. Medicare.gov (CMS). "Medicare & Home Health Care," CMS Product No. 10969. https://www.medicare.gov/publications/10969-medicare-and-home-health-care.pdf (checked Oct 5, 2026, PT)
3. Medicare.gov (CMS). "Hospice care." https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care (checked Oct 5, 2026, PT)
4. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (NIH). "Home Care Services." https://medlineplus.gov/homecareservices.html (checked Oct 5, 2026, PT)
5. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (NIH). "Hospice Care." https://medlineplus.gov/hospicecare.html (checked Oct 5, 2026, PT)
6. National Institute on Aging (NIH). "What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care?" https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/hospice-and-palliative-care/what-are-palliative-care-and-hospice-care (checked Oct 5, 2026, PT)

Last reviewed: October 5, 2026