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Our Story: Home Care Provides Personalized Services
Since the beginning of our nation's history, Americans have been caring for their sick and disabled family members at home. Home Care was organized in the late 1800s in a world dominated by infectious disease and high death rates. Visiting nurses were employed to treat the sick, train family members in care techniques, and to help protect the public from the spread of disease through better hygiene. Since then Home Care has evolved to focus more on chronic, degenerative diseases, but the goal of providing warm, personalized care has remained unchanged.
People find that now, as then, healing at home can be more successful because the patient is in their own environment, surrounded by loved ones. Home Care provides a holistic approach to care and integrates the needed services into the patient's daily routine. It allows the patient to be involved and to help direct all aspects of their care from nursing or various therapies, to assistance with activities of daily living from a home health aide.
The goal of the home health provider is to work with the patient to restore their optimal level of functioning, increasing their independence and keeping them in their own homes rather than a nursing facility. Home health caregivers want to know what activities the patient wants to do, then provides care to help enrich those activities. They become "patient advocates" in area related and non-related to the patient's illness. Home health caregivers spend more time educating the patient as well as focusing on their mental and spiritual care. It is those special services in the home that make Home Care so fulfilling to patients.
Depending on the circumstances, the Home Care team may include nurses, medical social workers, home health aides and physical, occupational, or speech therapists. A sampling of home delivered care includes: treating complex wounds, IV therapy, assistance with home medical equipment and supplies, counseling, community resource planning, teaching and help with personal care.
--Submitted by Amy Lord, RN, BC, Administrative Director, Community Mercy Home Care
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