November is National Home Care Month; A hidden gem available in Allamakee County
VMH Community and Home Care services available ... November is Home Care Month. Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care is a locally-based, home health care agency serving Allamakee and the surrounding counties. Registered nurses and certified home care aides travel the Allamakee County area and beyond 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 an illness or recent surgery, often times after being hospitalized. This service has proven to be just what Sarah Murray of Lansing needed following her spinal cord injury. She states, “It was such a relief to find just what I needed. All of their care is so good. They are so gentle, personable and have all become a part of the family.” Submitted photo.
Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care is a locally-based, home health care agency serving Allamakee and the surrounding counties. Registered nurses and certified home care aides travel the Allamakee County area and beyond to offer assistance to individuals who wish to remain in their homes for as long as possible, or who need some assistance while they are recovering from an illness or recent surgery, often times after being hospitalized.
But often times, this local service goes unnoticed by larger hospitals and may not be referred to patients who need these local services. This was the case for Sarah Murray of Lansing. Following her spinal cord injury and hospitalization, she needed home care services right in her home, but was having trouble finding just what she needed. For that reason, she was transferred to Veterans Memorial Hospital for more hospitalization and rehabilitation. It was there she learned the Community and Home Care service, right in the hospital and in her own county, could provide the exact care she needed to get back into her own home.
“It was such a relief to find just what I needed,” states Sarah. “All of their care is so good. They are so gentle, personable and have all become a part of the family.”
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 the patients regarding any other health problems. RN staff are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to help with urgent needs that may arise.
“Often in our small area, we think we need a large hospital to fix our problems, but traveling that far is hard and it was definitely hard on me,” adds Sarah. “Veterans Memorial Hospital is a hidden gem and was just what I needed. I was treated individually and never like a number like in the large hospitals. I received good care and that is the bottom line.”
Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care nurses visit Sarah three times per week, in addition to in-home physical therapy which is also provided by the hospital staff.
“People need to know about this excellent service,” concludes Sarah. “They are part of our family, they share our lives and they are all so comforting.”
“Home care services cost only a fraction of hospitalization and nursing home placement and we can successfully care for these comparable health problems right in the home,” states Lisa Moose, RN, Community and Home Care Director. “Besides these positive factors, people are usually happier and heal more quickly at home.”
Anyone who is interested in receiving home care services can contact Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care at 563-568-5660 or consult with their health care provider who can order these services for them.
