Home health nurses Tessa Galemore and Darla Ulrich sorted through Iolan Meredith Rogers’ medications Thursday, making sure everything was in order for the days ahead.
They had just one more responsibility, though, before they could leave. Galemore reached into a bag of dog treats and asked Chopper, the family’s German shepherd, for a handshake in exchange for the morsel.
Giving treats to dogs isn’t an official part of the job description for home health nurses, but it’s an effective way to bond with patients and their family members.
The Allen County Regional Hospital Home Health and Hospice unit has seen a resurgence in recent months after struggling with a revolving door of nurses for the past couple of years. When longtime nurses retired from the unit, they were replaced by an outside nursing agency. As a result, patient numbers dwindled.
In the past several months, though, a new, local nursing crew has come on board. The return to local care has yielded positive results. Patient numbers have increased. The new staff is diverse, with a mix of experience and youth, and they’re especially passionate about their job, social worker Susan Hawk said. Hawk, home health aide Jamie Karns and longtime secretary Jaye Zirjacks are the veterans of the office; Dr. Brian Wolfe serves as medical director.
Susan Hawk provides counseling services for home health and hospice patients. Click here to learn more about hospice. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
Sharon Camp of Memphis, Tenn., is the interim director for the unit. She came on board in June to help the unit regroup after the years of turnover. She recently renewed her contract through October but expects to return home to Memphis at some point.
“It’s a whole new team and they are phenomenal,” Camp said. “They’re all competent and smart. We’re making sure to learn all the regulatory requirements and getting our name back out there to the community.”
HOME HEALTH and hospice care requires a special type of nursing, with demands not every nurse can handle for a long period of time. Through hospice, they care for patients who are terminally ill. Home health requires caring for patients who are homebound, such as those who have recently been released from a hospital but need continued medical care or therapy.
That’s the case for Rogers, who has received home health care since June 13. In May, she underwent emergency surgery for a spot on the back of her thigh that turned out to be a flesh-eating bacteria. It required a skin graft and more than a month in the hospital. She asked to recover at home, but was told she would be homebound and must stay off her feet as much as possible. She also must deal with complications from diabetes that require dialysis in Chanute three times a week.
Initially, Rogers received home health services every day that tapered to every other day. Rogers is dreading her next doctor’s visit, because she expects to get the “all clear” for her recovery and the visits will come to an end.
“They are awesome,” Rogers said of the nurses. “All I have to do is make a phone call and they are right here. They care about people and want to do everything they can to help a person have a better quality of life.”
She previously worked in the healthcare industry, including as a home health aide, so she has a good understanding of what the job requires.
“We’ve developed a bond,” Rogers said. “They’re very uplifting. When I’ve had a bad day, they’ll sit and talk to me until I get to feeling better.”
