Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/615573
AS YOU AGE, YOU MAY HAVE A MORE DIFFICULT TIME MANAGING YOUR OWN HEALTH AND LEAVING HOME FOR HEALTHCARE VISITS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE ALONE. How Your Phone Can Keep You Healthier A Host of Home Health Services "Home Health is a resource that helps individuals safely manage their healthcare needs at home," says Debbie Lauer, RN, BSN, HSHS St. Joseph's Home Health and Hospice Director. "Home Health can help increase quality of life for individuals recovering from an acute illness or surgery, managing a chronic illness, or in need of end-of-life care, and provide it in the patient's preferred setting—their own home." Most insurance plans, including Medicare, cover skilled care services from nurses or occupational, physical, or speech therapists. These professionals can provide care and also teach patients how to better manage their own conditions, improving their health in between visits. Home Health can also provide supportive care, including help with bathing, cooking meals, or household chores, though not all insurance plans cover these services. To find out which Home Health services your insurance covers, contact HSHS St. Joseph's Home Health at 715.717.3485. WHEN REGULAR CHECKUPS become less frequent, the odds of a small health problem becoming more serious increase. In these situations, telehealth monitoring systems can provide a vital second set of eyes to monitor your health, helping you continue living at home, rather than needing to move into a senior care facility. HOW TELEHEALTH MONITORING SYSTEMS WORK Telehealth monitoring uses equipment that helps track of information including weight, blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen levels and reports this information via phone to HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital Home Health professionals. Home Health can supply all the equipment: the patient doesn't have to buy anything and doesn't need an Internet connection or any technical knowledge. "Telehealth monitoring equipment verbally walks the person through a series of tests," says Debbie Lauer, RN, BSN, HSHS St. Joseph's Home Health and Hospice Director. "It also asks several health-related questions that the patient can answer by pressing 'yes' or 'no' buttons." Once this information is submitted, a provider can review the test results and schedule follow-up care, including home visits from registered nurses, certified wound care nurses, or certified nursing assistants, to examine and treat possible causes for concern more closely. HELPING SENIORS STAY HEALTHY AT HOME "Some seniors perceive telehealth monitoring and home care as a decrease in independence," Lauer says. "However, this combination is a less- expensive alternative to moving into an assisted living or skilled nursing facility, and it actually increases seniors' independence." To get more information about telehealth monitoring or any other home health services, call HSHS St. Joseph's Home Health at 715.717.3485. 1 4 I N S P I R I N G H E A LT H