Jul 18 2017

Independent Aging at Home: Part 2

By Dorothy Davis, LPC, Vice President of Community Health and Strategy By bringing healthcare home with connectivity and innovative aging, together with the community, we work to facilitate independent aging at home. One of the benefits of bringing healthcare home is nurses are able to see the patient’s home environment. As our CEO, Norene Mostkoff, has often stated, healthcare happens at home: healthcare happens in the bathroom, it happens in the living room, it happens in the kitchen—and our nurses are able to assess whether the home environment is conducive for recovery and healthy aging. Doctors are unable to see the environment in which patients live. A diabetic could repeatedly visit the ER and the doctor would never know it because the patient doesn’t have proper refrigeration for her diabetes medicine. Deploying home health clinicians is the way to fill this gap in care. The environment in which the patient lives contributes to their health. Health is all encompassing; health is our way of life, where we live, what we do, what we eat, and who we live with.

Jul 03 2017

Independent Aging at Home: Part 1

By Andrea Stevenson, RN, BSN, MPH, Executive Director of Home Health Services As we celebrate Independence Day this July, let’s also celebrate the value of aging independently at home. With today’s technological advances, it has never been easier to bring healthcare to a patient’s home. This is particularly of value to aging patients who wish to remain independent for as long as possible. Aging independently means patients feel dignified, empowered and prepared to handle the many health-related aspects of aging. An independent patient is one who understands his or her disease or condition, and is an active participant in developing and meeting their healthcare goals.