Long-term care services may be provided by informal care givers such as family members or friends as well as by formal care givers who are specially trained and/or licensed professionals.

The key distinction between formal and informal care is the financial relationship of the caregiver to the patient – paid caregivers are classified as formal care, while unpaid caregivers are classified as informal care.

Non-Medical Personnel

Non-medical personnel provide a wide variety of services based on the needs of the individual. Their services include:

Assistance with personal care such as bathing, grooming, eating or toileting;

Assistance with movement or exercise;

Simple health tasks such as taking temperature and blood pressure and assisting with self-administered medications; and

General homemaking such as grocery shopping, meal preparation, light housekeeping and laundry.

Skilled Medical Personnel

Skilled medical personnel include nurses, therapists and physicians who provide a wide variety of services based on the needs of the individual. Their services include:

Monitoring diet and nutrition;

Monitoring patient nursing needs, including giving injections and diagnosing routine medical problems, and

Planning and implementing a program of rehabilitative therapy.