Monthly Health Articles Archive

Home Care - Helping People Remain in Their Homes Safely

In community health we like to say that home health care adds years to your life and life to your years.  Our home health nurses and health care aides work together to provide care to patients that want to stay in their homes, while receiving the appropriate care and attention they need.  The goal of home care is to promote recovery, independence and the general well being of the patient.

Home care referrals often come from doctors, health care facilities, family members or friends of patients.  Depending on the situation of the patient, we will talk with the person and their family to determine what their needs are.  Sometimes we’ll have specific orders from the doctor and the nurse works with that physician to formulate a plan for the patient.  Other times the patient may need help from a home care aide to get showered and dressed while they recover from an injury, with just an occasional visit from a home health nurse.  Patients require different levels of care and we are able to work with a wide range of needs. 

We are accustomed to serving all ages of patients from infants to senior citizens. People require home health care for a number of different reasons, but it is especially important for those who are homebound and in need of skilled care.  Medicare often covers the cost of home care for a certain amount of time when a patient is in this situation.  Our nurses provide skilled care to people in their homes, review medications and perform regular checks on the patient, with the frequency of the visits depending on the type of care they are receiving.  Home care aides can help with personal care such as bathing, dressing, oral hygiene, hair care, range of motion exercises and assistance with transfers.  They are also able to help with light housekeeping, limited laundry, shopping for food and personal items, food planning and preparation.

Our nurses and home care aides have the opportunity to interact and develop relationships with a lot of different individuals and families in the area.  People want to be in their own homes, and we can help them do that while providing the supervision of a professional.  For more information about home health care at Kossuth Regional Health Center Community Health, contact us at 515.295.4430.

-Rebecca Lancaster, R.N., is the home health nurse coordinator at KRHC