Home health care may be gaining acceptance, but it is not a new invention. Remember Doc Baker in “Little House on the Prairie”? Set in the 1800s, the show sometimes showed patients visiting his office, but more often, you saw him making what they called “house calls” on his patients. “Bedside manner” was practiced kindly at the sides of his patients’ very own beds, by this man who was their neighbor and friend. In the years since that kinder, gentler era, most of western culture recognized the benefits of a sterile environment and medical institutions. Even still, there are some good reasons that home health care is and should be something more and more people are considering for themselves and their loved ones.Patient ComfortThis is, by far, the primary reason to consider this increasingly popular option. While stark white hospital rooms are now a thing of the past, the kind of comfort and personal service many patients desire can be found no place but home. Health care needs vary greatly, and some procedures and treatments are best performed in hospitals, but many types of therapy and assistance can be provided where patients are most comfortable. Their comfort level can help the healing process to go faster and can distract patients from their pain. Because they’re surrounded by familiar things and people, they enjoy a better quality of life overall. Unlike when they’re in nursing homes or hospitals, loved ones can easily observe, knowing exactly when the medical team will arrive. While you may think of in-home help as something reserved for more minor ailments or injuries, many hospice workers see the benefit of allowing dying people to remain in their homes, as well.Cost ConcernsWhile visits from medical professions certainly come with a price tag, those bills won’t pile up nearly as quickly as extended hospital or nursing home stays. Particularly if around-the-clock assistance is not needed, hiring a companion or even a certified aide can be much more cost effective than nursing homes or even assisted living. When you consider that many patients in long-term help live with the hope of getting to the point where they can again live independently and, therefore, keep their homes, the cost is even more outlandish. How many people can realistically afford a mortgage or rent for a home in addition to thousands of dollars a month to stay in a nursing facility? For many people, there is a limit to the financial resources available, leading to eventual liquidation of assets, anyway. Home health care can help you or your loved one to avoid or at least delay that kind of heartbreaking choice.If you’re making choices for yourself or for a loved one, home health care may be your best option, considering cost concerns and patient comfort.