November is National Home Care and Hospice Month

The combination of a growing elderly population, rapidly advancing technology that allows more illnesses to be treated in the home, and the natural desire of individuals to remain independent for as long as possible will ensure that home health care will be a driving force in health care delivery in the next century. 

 Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care is a locally based home health care agency serving Allamakee and the surrounding counties. Nine registered nurses and five home care aides travel the county and beyond the county borders to offer assistance to individuals who wish to remain in their homes for as long as possible, or need some assistance while they are recovering from a past illness or surgery, often times after being hospitalized.

Home health care has proven to be cost effective in that nursing home placement can often be postponed if there is available assistance to allow people to remain in their own home. Home care costs only a fraction of hospitalization and nursing home placement to deal with comparable health problems.  Besides these positive factors, people are usually happier and heal more quickly at home.

Skilled home care services offered by the registered nurses at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care include assisting adults with their medications, providing wound care, providing catheter and colostomy care, overseeing rehabilitation in-home programs, assessing blood pressures, performing blood tests, providing IV therapy and instructing them regarding any other health problems.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care now has a certified Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse on staff to provide expertise on wound and ostomy assessment and management.

Home Care Aides provide personal care such as bathing and hair care, food management, assistance with housekeeping and laundry, budgeting and even running necessary errands for families.

Rehabilitation is also available through Community and Home Care within the home. Licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists can evaluate, develop and implement a complete rehabilitation program for anyone homebound in Allamakee County.

In addition, many other public services are offered by Community and Home Care such as blood pressure screenings, immunization clinics, maternal/child health clinics, foot clinics, senior health screenings and lead screenings. The Loan Closet also has much durable medical equipment available for loaning out to people in the area who are in need of it.

Anyone who is being directed by a physician to begin home health care services has the choice as to which home care service cares for them and should request that service. For more information or to make an appointment, call Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care at 563-568-5660.