Home Care and Hospice Month: Healing Through Care at Home

Adventist Health Home Care Service agencies play an important role in our mission to provide compassionate and professional care to our communities. Through home health and hospice programs, patients and their families can receive skilled, personalized healthcare services while residing in the comfort of their own homes. In addition to providing treatment or care management, we strive to improve overall quality of life and positively influence the emotional, physical and spiritual well-being of our home health and hospice patients.

In honor of National Home Care and Hospice Month we wanted to take a moment to explore the ways Adventist Health is reshaping and revolutionizing home health and hospice for our patients.

Emotional Support

Often when home health becomes necessary, it is because a patient has lost mobility or has experienced a major surgery and can no longer leave their home. Hospice focuses on the quality of life for a person who is no longer seeking curative treatment. At Adventist Health, we realize that this not only takes a physical toll, but an emotional one as well — both for the patient and the patient’s family.

As a part of Adventist Health’s home health and hospice programs, counselors, pastors, and trained volunteers are available in both emotional and spiritual support capacities. Our team of skilled professionals and trained volunteers are here to help patients and their families — whether in rehabilitation or in transitioning from active, curative treatment to compassionate, comfort care.

“I love doing physical therapy, but most of all I love doing home health because I feel like we provide something very special for our patients,” said Delores Tremper, a physical therapist with the home health program. “I believe that because we are faith-based, we are able to reach out in a humanitarian way. We have the freedom to pray with people and the ability to connect them to resources that change their lives.”

Understanding

Beyond treating symptoms, our healthcare professionals also work to educate patients and families alike on illnesses, medication and wellness. From physicians and nurses to therapist and aides, our team takes the time to sit with patients, helping them come to a deeper understanding about health, rehabilitation andmaintenance.

For Adventist Health, we believe that understanding is one of the first steps on the road to healing and wholeness. A care plan is formed for each patient which provides comfort by addressing medical, personal, spiritual and emotional needs.

“I truly believe we can make a huge difference in peoples’ lives and health and livelihood if we were to go out and work with them in their home environments,” says Evie Rengiil, RN. “Home Care Services is truly where we are fulfilling our mission of what we do at Adventist Health.”