Seeking the advice of a trusted physician is prudent when deciding where you should receive treatment for a medical condition. I am a financial planner and some might even consider me a writer, but I am absolutely not a physician. I mention this to remind my readers that this column is meant to start a conversation and is not advice about treatment.

Normally, as a financial planner, this topic would not be on my radar. However, I’ve found in my years of writing columns that some ideas come to me from all directions demanding to be written.

This one began with my son, Walker, coming down with what appeared to be a moderate asthma attack. His condition progressed with a fever and a chronic cough. After a visit to the pediatrician we discovered that his oxygen level was very low. Walker’s symptoms made him a good candidate for hospital admission.

We are fortunate that we have a long standing relationship with our pediatrician who is very familiar with our ability to stay on top of Walker’s condition. In addition, he is aware of my compromised immune system (a by product of my stem cell transplant in 2008) making the hospital a risky place for me to spend time. He allowed us to treat Walker at home. He clearly explained that any progression in his condition would require an ER visit. From there, we proceeded to treat Walker at home with great success.

My second hint that this was a column came as we sat around the house watching a ridiculous amount of TV while caring for Walker. During that time I caught the end of a show about cancer patients, living wills and the decision about in home care. The financial benefits were briefly mentioned, but the core of the issue had more to do with the comfort of being at home with loved ones at such a vulnerable time.

The benefits of in home care range from comfort to decreased exposure to new germs to dramatically lower medical bills for you and your insurance company. The hospitals benefit by not overextending their resources for patients who might be better served at home. Again, assuming that you and your physician agreed that in home treatment is a prudent option; there can be many benefits to you and your loved ones.