More Information about our Home Health Care Services:
Skilled Nursing Care
RN’s and LVN’s are licensed by the Board of Nurse Examiners to perform SKILLED duties under the direct supervision of a physician. Skilled Nurses are available around the clock. Skilled Nursing services include(but are not limited to):
- Patient and Family education and training
- Medication supervision
- Injections
- Wound Care
- Heart and Blood Pressure monitoring
- Nutritional counseling
Many medical conditions can be managed in the home, such as:
- Angina
- Arthritis
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA– stroke)
- Diabetes
- Gastrointestional diseases
- Hip fractures
- Hypertension (High blood pressure)
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Osteoporosis
- Pneumonia
- Upper Respiratory Infection (URI)
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
- Open wounds (surgical wounds, diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, stasis ulcers, traumatic wounds)
- Orthopedic conditions
- Medication management
(This list represents an example of common ailments that can be treated in the home. Services are not limited to the above.)
Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy
Some diagnoses that often benefit from Physical Therapy intervention include: Post hip/knee-replacement, rotator cuff repairs, gait disturbance, general weakness of the upper extremities, arthritis, stroke, cardiac diagnosis, closed head injury, burns, COPD (emphysema), new prosthesis, brace, sling, or cast, or a decline in function after an illness or hospitalization.
- Gait training
- Therapeutic exercises
- Range of motion
- Strengthening
- Balance Coordination
- Endurance or functional ability training
- Safe and effective maintenance program
- Hot packs
- Ultrasound treatments
- Establish a home exercise program
- Prosthetic training
- Fabrication of temporary devices
- Muscle reeducation
- Activities of Daily Living (ADL) training
- Spasticity reduction
An Occupational Therapist might construct a device that will allow a patient to hold a utensil so they can feed themselves. Occupational Therapists can often assist a patient in regaining independence in the activities of daily living (ADL) such as dressing, bathing, and meal preparation. By doing so, the patient might maintain independence at home rather than in an assisted living facility or skilled nursing facility.
- Techniques for sensory integration, energy conservation, work simplification, and joint protection.
- Design, fabricate, and fit orthotic and self-help devices.
- Teach compensatory techniques to improve the level of independence in ADL’s.
- Teach therapeutic activities designed to restore physical function.
Types of patients that may benefit from Speech Therapy are those with a diagnosis of head and neck cancers, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, vocal cord nodules, multiple sclerosis, or any debilitating neuro-muscular disorder. Patients with new tracheostomies or post laryngectomies also often require the skills of a Speech Pathologist.
- Speech voice production
- Voice disorders
- Difficulty with speech (aphasia)
- Difficulty with swallowing (dysphagia)
- Special communication technique
Home Health Aide
The primary function of the home health aide is to provide assistance with personal care and limited household functions. Such assistance may include:
- Helping the patient bathe and dress
- Assisting the patient in and out of bed
- Assisting with mouth and hair care
- Helping with exercise
- Changing the patient’s linens
- Assisting with training in self-care techniques
- Assist with use of bedpan or urinal.
- Laundering or drying essential items as time permits
- Light cleaning and straightening of the patient care area where personal care services were performed making sure not to leave a mess for the patient or family.
Special Therapy and Health Care Consultation Services
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Daily Insulin Therapy
Includes daily monitoring of patient’s blood glucose level, preparation and/or administration of insulin as ordered by the physician. Newly diagnosed diabetics may often need daily monitoring for a week or so, with instruction on use of glucometer, use of blood glucose diary, and preparation/administration of insulin. Our nurses can also provide teaching and instruction to family/caregivers on diet requirements and other diabetic care.
Note: In order for daily insulin visits from our nurses, the patient must be unable to perform these task by his/her self and no willing and available caregiver to assist patient. Many agencies are reluctant to provide daily insulin therapy as it can often be costly to the agency. We are dedicated to the patient care and recognize that patient’s benefit by insulin therapy. |
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Certified Wound Care Nurse
We have a Certified Wound Care Nurse available to assess and make recommendation for patients with complicated wounds. Recommendations made by our Certified Wound Care nurse often result in a decrease in healing time or significant improvement in wound status. We can perform ankle pressure index (API) reading with our Doppler to assist in making recommendations to the physician for compression stockings and/or specialized dressings. |
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Daily Wound Care
Our RN’s and LVN’s are educated and proficient with various wound types and treatments. Some patients require daily wound care visits, depending on severity of wound and type of treatment ordered. Wound care can be provided for various types of wounds, including stasis ulcers, diabetic ulcers, traumatic injuries (including burns), pressure ulcers and surgical wounds. |
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Wound Vac
Our nurses have been trained and are skilled with use of the wound vac. This specialty treatment may be indicated for wounds with heavy drainage, non-healing wounds and “hard-to-heal” areas. They decrease healing time sometimes by 30%-50%, by decreasing wound volume and removing excess fluids that might inhibit wound healing. |
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In-Home Tele-monitoring
We utilize Viterion Tele-monitor technology to assist patients in self management of many cardiac conditions. The monitor is placed in the patient’s home and the patient is instructed on use of the machine. The patient can use the tele-monitor to measure blood pressure, weight, blood oxygen levels via pulse oximetry, heart rate and can also record blood glucose levels. The data is sent through a standard phone line directly to the agency where the tele-health nurse will monitor and report abnormal readings to the patient’s physician.
While the goal of home health care is to reduce hospitalizations, this tool can be invaluable in each patient’s self-management of care. Use of the Viterion is only part of our tele-health program. Each of our nurses are trained in tele-health monitoring and routinely perform supplemental phone assessments on patients identified as “high risk” for hospitalizations. When used properly, we can prevent the need for an acute care admission with timely intervention. |
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Anodyne Therapy
This is a NON-INVASIVE procedure using a type of infrared photo energy which can substantially increase circulation, reduce pain in areas to which it is applied, and may help decrease the need for medication. This type of treatment is typically used to increase circulation, temporarily decrease pain, reduce edema, decrease inflammation, and increase range of motion. Anodyne Therapy may also be use with wounds to improve healing time, and in the treatment/management of peripheral neuropathy.
Accord Home Care has it’s own in house Anodyne machine. If you have a chronic condition causing pain and circulation problems, ask your doctor, nurse or therapist if Anodyne might work for you. |
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INRatio PT/INR Monitoring System
Provides a simple, reliable, and immediate way to test a patient’s INR level during the home visit. Using a finger stick (similar to the finger stick blood sample used for testing blood sugars in diabetics), the one drop sample is read by the monitor and the test results displayed in less than 2 minutes. Results can be reported as an INR, PT, or QC. |
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