Monthly Health Articles Archive

There’s no place like home, for your health and your budget
Home Health Care provides cost-effective care

As the recent debates about health care reform illustrate, the best medical care money can buy isn’t always an option for the average American.  However, home health care is a bright spot in these troubled economic times.  Home health care can provide a wide range of high quality and cost-effective services that can help people remain in their homes safely. 

November is National Home Health and Hospice Month.  At Kossuth Regional Health Center, 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. 

People need home health care for a variety of reasons.  For those with a chronic or terminal illness or disability, home care may be a part of their long-term health plan.  Others may need home health care for only a limited time, such as a person recovering from a recent hospital stay or injury.  Regardless of the reason, most people prefer to be in their own homes rather than in a hospital or long-term care facility, and not just because of the cost.

Health care and other services offered within the patient’s home allow that person to stay in his or her own familiar surroundings, which in itself has a positive and therapeutic effect.  According to the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, senior citizens prefer home care over institutional care by a margin of 90 percent.  Home care promotes independence and dignity for senior citizens and visits from home care employees can bolster the moods and self-esteem of those who are homebound.  Home care services are provided in a caring and compassionate manner, at the fraction of the price it would cost for institutional care.  Naturally there are situations when hospitalization or a transition into a long-term care facility is necessary, but home care is a cost-effective option for those who are able to remain in their homes safely.

Homecare 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.  At KRHC we have many different people working together as a team to meet the needs of our patients.  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 and range of motion exercises.  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 or www.krhc.com.

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