HarvardCare at Home 
Wound Care
Glendale is home to a large and diverse population of seniors and Medicare beneficiaries. With major medical centers like Adventist Health Glendale, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, and Dignity Health Glendale Memorial nearby, many Glendale residents are discharged from the hospital needing continued care — wound management, physical rehabilitation, medication oversight, or skilled nursing — and home health care is often the best path to recovery.
If you or a loved one lives in Glendale and has Original Medicare, this guide explains exactly how home health services work, what’s covered, and how to access care from a local agency headquartered right in your community.
Why Home Health Care Makes Sense for Glendale Residents
Glendale’s geography and demographics create specific challenges for patients who need ongoing medical care after a hospital stay or for chronic condition management. The city spans hillside neighborhoods, apartment buildings, and residential streets where transportation to outpatient clinics can be difficult for homebound patients. For a senior recovering from hip replacement surgery in the hills near Montrose, or a diabetic patient managing a foot wound in a Glendale apartment near downtown, traveling to a clinic multiple times per week is often impractical or impossible.
Home health care eliminates the transportation barrier entirely. Licensed nurses and therapists come to your home — your actual living environment — and deliver clinical care where you’re most comfortable and where the treatment has the greatest real-world relevance.
Glendale also has a significant Armenian-American community and other diverse populations with specific cultural and language needs. A home health agency based in the community understands these needs and can provide culturally sensitive care.
Services Available to Glendale Medicare Patients
Under Original Medicare, Glendale residents who are homebound and require skilled care can receive the following services at home at no out-of-pocket cost.
Skilled nursing care includes wound assessment and wound dressing changes, IV therapy and antibiotic administration, medication management and reconciliation, catheter care and ostomy care, vital sign monitoring and chronic disease assessment, and post-surgical monitoring. Learn more about our skilled nursing services.
Wound care is one of the most common home health services in Glendale. Our certified wound care nurses treat diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers, post-surgical wounds, and chronic non-healing wounds. If you have a wound that requires professional care, visit our Medicare wound care page for details on coverage and services.
Physical therapy at home helps Glendale patients recover from surgery, injury, stroke, or prolonged illness. Our physical therapists provide in-home physical therapy in Glendale for post-surgical rehabilitation, back pain therapy, fall prevention, balance training, and functional mobility. Working in your actual home means practicing stairs, bathroom transfers, and kitchen mobility in the environment where it matters most.
Occupational therapy at home focuses on restoring daily living skills — bathing, dressing, cooking, and medication management. Our occupational therapists provide in-home occupational therapy in Glendale including ADL training, home safety evaluations, adaptive equipment training, and caregiver education.
How to Qualify for Home Health in Glendale
To receive Medicare-covered home health services in Glendale, three conditions must be met.
You must be homebound, meaning that leaving home requires a considerable and taxing effort due to your medical condition. You don’t need to be bedridden — using a walker, needing someone to drive you, or having a condition that makes outings risky or exhausting qualifies. Read our detailed guide on what qualifies as homebound for Medicare.
You must need skilled care — nursing, physical therapy, or occupational therapy that requires the expertise of a licensed professional. General help with housework or companionship does not qualify, but skilled wound care, medication management, and therapeutic exercises do.
A physician must order the services. Your doctor writes a home health order specifying what you need. If you’re being discharged from a Glendale hospital, the discharge planner can arrange this. If you’re already at home, ask your primary care physician. Our guide on how to get a doctor to order home health services walks through the process.
HarvardCare at Home: Based in Glendale, Serving All of LA County
HarvardCare at Home is headquartered at 511 E Harvard St, Suite 6, Glendale, CA 91205. As a Medicare-certified home health agency (CA License No. 550004628), we specialize in serving Original Medicare and Dual Eligible (Medicare + Medi-Cal) patients. We do not accept Medicare Advantage plans — our focus is entirely on patients with traditional Medicare coverage.
Being based in Glendale means we know the community, the hospitals, the physicians, and the neighborhoods. When a patient is discharged from Adventist Health Glendale or USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and needs home health care, we can often begin services the same day or next day. Our response time for Glendale patients is among the fastest in our service area.
Our four core service lines cover all major home health disciplines. Wound care with certified wound care nurses. Skilled nursing for medication management, IV therapy, catheter care, and clinical monitoring. Physical therapy for mobility, strength, and fall prevention. And occupational therapy for daily living skills and home safety.
Glendale Neighborhoods We Serve
We provide home health services throughout Glendale and its surrounding neighborhoods, including Downtown Glendale, Adams Hill, Rossmoyne, Verdugo Woodlands, Sparr Heights, Glendale Hills, Montrose, La Crescenta, Crescenta Highlands, and all areas within the Glendale city limits. We also serve adjacent communities including Burbank, La Crescenta-Montrose, Eagle Rock, Pasadena, and Highland Park.
View our full Glendale service area page for more information, or browse our complete list of communities we serve across LA County.
Coordinating With Glendale Hospitals and Physicians
Effective home health care depends on strong coordination with your medical team. We maintain established relationships with discharge planners and physicians at Glendale’s major hospitals, allowing us to receive referrals quickly and begin care without delays.
When you’re discharged from the hospital, the discharge planner will ask which home health agency you prefer. You have the right to choose any Medicare-certified agency — and choosing a local agency based in your community means faster response times and staff who know your neighborhood. If you’re already at home and your doctor orders home health services, we coordinate directly with their office to obtain orders and set up your care plan.
Our nurses communicate with your physicians after every visit, providing updates on wound healing, vital signs, medication changes, and any clinical concerns. This coordination loop ensures your doctor always has current information about how you’re doing at home. Learn more about how to choose the right home health agency.
What to Expect When You Start Home Health in Glendale
The process is straightforward. After we receive your physician’s order, we schedule an initial assessment — typically within 24 to 48 hours. A registered nurse visits your home, completes a comprehensive evaluation of your condition and needs, assesses your home environment, reviews your medications, and develops an individualized plan of care with your input.
Your plan of care is sent to your physician for approval and signature. Once approved, services begin on the agreed schedule. Depending on your needs, you may receive visits from a nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, or a combination — all coordinated through a single care team. Learn more about what to expect during your first home health visit.
Common Conditions We Treat in Glendale Homes
Our Glendale patients represent a wide range of medical needs. Some of the most common conditions we manage at home include diabetic wound care for patients managing non-healing foot ulcers or lower extremity wounds related to diabetes, post-surgical recovery after joint replacement, cardiac surgery, or abdominal procedures performed at local hospitals, chronic disease management for patients with heart failure, COPD, or kidney disease who need regular skilled monitoring to stay stable and avoid rehospitalization, and stroke rehabilitation combining physical therapy for mobility with occupational therapy for daily living skills.
We also provide specialized services including IV antibiotic therapy for patients with bone infections or wound infections that require weeks of intravenous medication, PICC line management for patients discharged with central venous access, and catheter care for patients who need skilled nursing support managing urinary catheters at home.
Understanding Your Rights as a Medicare Patient in Glendale
As a Medicare beneficiary receiving home health care, you have specific rights that protect your access to care. You have the right to choose your home health agency — the hospital cannot require you to use a specific provider. You have the right to be informed about your plan of care and to participate in decisions about your treatment. You have the right to receive care without discrimination. And you have the right to file a complaint if you believe your care is inadequate.
Under Original Medicare, there are no prior authorization requirements for home health services. This means once your physician writes the order, care can begin without waiting for insurance approval — a significant advantage over Medicare Advantage plans, which often require prior authorization that can delay the start of services by days or weeks. If you’re unsure which type of Medicare you have, check your red, white, and blue Medicare card — if it shows “Medicare Health Insurance” with Part A and Part B listed, you have Original Medicare. Learn more about Medicare home health coverage.
Getting Started
If you’re a Glendale resident with Original Medicare or Dual Eligible coverage and need skilled care at home, contact HarvardCare at Home at (323) 484-4440. We’ll verify your coverage, coordinate with your physician, and get your care started quickly. You can also visit our office at 511 E Harvard St, Suite 6, Glendale, CA 91205.
Browse our complete list of services, check our frequently asked questions, or explore our blog for more information about home health care and Medicare coverage.
