Debbie Davison, Home Health Care Plus, Inc.

Debbie Davison, Rn MS, is administrator and owner of Home Health Care Plus, Inc. Our agency is rated #1 in home care in Central Illinois by Medicare and in the top 10% of home care in the U.S. We have one of the highest percentages of patients that stay home after a medical episode and home care ends. We want our patients to get home, get better and get back their independence. We don't just aim for excellence...We achieve it. www.homehealthcareplus.net

How do I find out what services are available to help my sister who recently moved in with me? She is so sick and I need help!

Most people don't realize the help that is available in the home. With a Doctor's order, a Home Care Nurse can come to evaluate your sister. She may qualify for nursing visits, Home Health Aide assistance with bathing, grooming and possibly physical, occupational or speech therapy. A social worker may be of assistance if indicated. Home Care Nurses are aware of the community resources available to help with your sister's care as well.

Can you tell me if I qualify for Home Care services covered by Medicare?

There are three basic guidelines to meet:

- A person must be considered homebound, you may go out to the doctor or occasionally to church or the barber/beautician but you must not drive yourself.

- You must be under a doctor's care who agrees Home Care is necessary.

- There must be a skilled need (nursing care, physical therapy, etc.)

Call our agency for help with understanding guidelines or services.

Is there a limit to the times a year someone can have home healthcare services? My neightbor received home healthcare visits 3 months ago after a fractured hip repair. Now she's been sick with pneumonia. Could home healthcare services be started again?

With her Doctor's order, home healthcare services can be restarted. Even though she was discharged from home healthcare services after the hip fracture episode, she now has a new problem that qualifies her for home healthcare services again. There is no limit of the number of days or number of times per year a Medicare recipient can receive home healthcare services. The qualifications for Medicare Home Care include a skilled need for nusing, and/or therapy, a MD order, and the necessity to remain homebound while receiving services.

My 99-year old father is in a nursing home after a stroke. He wants to go back to his home but needs help. What do we need to do to plan for his return home?

Talk to the Social Worker/Discharge Planner at the Nursing Home (NH) and develop a discharge plan and time frame. Almost anyone discharged from a Nursing Home qualifies for Home Care. A Nurse, Home Health Aide for bathing assistance, and Physical or Occupational Therapy can provide care upon your return home. Equipment may need to be ordered such as a hospital bed, wheelchair or walker, beside commode or lift chair. The Discharge Planner and therapists in the NH can assist in identifying needed items, and any home delivery. Additional private duty homemaker/companion/CNA's are available also (2-24 hrs per day), but these services are not covered by Medicare.

My husband was in the hospital and was discharged before we were expecting it over the weekend. We wanted Home Care but since his Doctor didn't order it we don't have it. It it too late to get help?

Sometimes discharge happens quickly and especially on weekends when most discharge planners are off. Call a Home Health agency and your Doctor will be contacted to request a Home Care order. Any equipment needed can still be ordered also.

I'm confused. My father is in a Nursing Home and his Medicare covered days are almost finished. Doesn't this mean that he can't have Home Care that is paid by Medicare?

This is one of the most frequent questions I'm asked. Nursing Home Medicare covered days and Home Care Medicare covered services are totally separate. If Nursing Home Medicare coverage has been exhausted, this has nothing to do with and doesn't affect Home Care Medicare coverage. It benefits almost everyone returning home from a Nursing Home stay to have Home Care follow for a few weeks. Many time small problems can be identified before they become large problems.

I am trying to care for my husband but he's getting difficult to transfer and dress. He had a stroke last year but has recently gotten weaker and I hurt my back trying to lift him. Any suggestions will help. I want to keep him home.

Family and friends who provide care to loved ones at home are at risk of inury to themselves. Muscle straings, falls and broken bones occure because of improper lifting and transfer techniques. Call Home Care and request a Home assessment for your husband. Physical therapy can work with him on strengthening exercises and assess to see if a Hoyer life and/or life chair may be needed, which does the lifting and transfer for you with your guidance. There are many assistive devices to make care easier and safer for both of you. Keeping caregivers, who are often at high risk for injury or exhaustion, healthy is the key to successful home care.

My 83-year old mother was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Her mother died from diabetes and mom just can't believe she's a diabetic at this age. She is also not following her diabetic diet. Can her doctor order home care for teaching?

A Home Care nurse can instruct your mother in giving herself insulin shots as well as other diabetic teaching. Your mother is understandably probably very anxious about this new medical problem. With her doctor's order a Home Care nurse can teach your mother self injection for insulin shots as well as many other aspects of diabetic care needs. It is good that your mother wants to become independent in part of her diabetic care needs. The Home Care nurse will cover all aspects of diabetes and over time can also talk with her about her feelings and concerns about her mother's diabetic problems and how your mom can hopefully prevent some of the complications her mother had being more compliant with her own treatment.

Could you give me examples of ways Medicare Home care can assist people? I have many elderly friends who I think may benefit from home therapy because they can't get to outpatient therapy.

Home care therapy can assist in many areas. Some examples include: balance recovery, perception/cognition, increasing strength and energy endurance, pain management, home modification suggestions, adaptive equipment, swallowing/speech, sequencing of tasks, home assessments, coordination, ability to perform activities of daily living and increasing joint range of motion, postural analysis and home exercise program instruction. These are only a few of the many areas home therapy can assist patients. Call with specific questions regarding therapies including physical, occupational and speech.

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