Home health care workers see demands rise as hospitals discharge patients sooner, sicker
'We fly below the radar as part of the hospital system but as hospitals are filled to overflowing, people are coming home sooner'
'We fly below the radar as part of the hospital system but as hospitals are filled to overflowing, people are coming home sooner'
'We fly below the radar as part of the hospital system but as hospitals are filled to overflowing, people are coming home sooner'
Visiting nurses in Carroll County expanded and enhanced their role to meet the needs of patients all from the comfort and safety of home.
“We haven't closed down a bit since COVID-19 started, we've been opened and staffed every single day," said Sandy Ruka, executive director, Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Carroll County.
For home health care workers, the job is always remote. Visiting nurses bring health care to patients who are housebound, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought fear and increased isolation.
"It's made 2022 very rewarding, I would say, to see how this has sustained a lot of community members that really would have struggled otherwise," said Jennifer Grise, nurse practitioner at Visiting Nurse Care and Hospice Carroll County.
"Once our staff are out there in someone's home, they are by themselves. In institutions, help is a raised voice away. In home health care, it's not like that," Ruka said.
The agency covers 18 towns over 1,000 square miles in Carroll County. Visiting nurses teach family members how to care for loved ones, do physical and occupational therapy work, medication maintenance, and when the pandemic struck — they expanded to include telehealth and vaccine delivery.
"Our goal is to keep people out of the hospital as much as possible to minimize those exposures," Grise said.
"We fly below the radar as part of the hospital system but as hospitals are filled to overflowing, people are coming home sooner," Ruka said.
Health care professionals like the ones at Visiting Nurse Care bring the human touch to those at risk of prolonged isolation. They see and respond to other needs that might go unmet.
"I often connect my clients with meals on wheels, and I tell you, it's not just the meals that are important: It's that visit from a human," Grise said.
Visiting Nurse Home Care and Hospice of Carroll County has several job openings right now and are offering a signing bonus for some positions. You can learn more on their website.