Home Health
Your treatment begins with the knowledge that medical care can be provided to you in your home.
When you’re sick, there is no place like home. When recovering from an illness or injury, surgery and/or hospitalization (both planned and unplanned), you have the right to choose which home care agency will take care of you or your loved one. Home Health services can provide you with the necessary medical care and support while recovering at home. You are the most important person when it comes to your health care decisions. Our staff are available 24/7 to assist you with your health care needs.
What types of services can be offered to me at home?
CHCS provides a wide-range of services including nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapy, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), social work services, telehealth, wound care. Our caring staff will create a plan of care that is tailored to your specific needs. This plan will be based on your medical needs and is directed by your physician.
How do I know if home health services are right for me?
Home Health services can be the right choice for you or your loved one when:
- You are returning home from a hospital stay
- Experiencing a complication or exacerbation of a medical condition
- Adjusting to a new diagnosis or new medication
- There are risks for falling at home
- Recovering from surgery (both planned and unplanned)
- Experiencing changes in managing daily activities (dressing, bathing, etc.)
- You require IV therapy
- Recovering from a stroke or injury and in need of rehabilitation services
- Needing assistance with wound care
Do I qualify for home health services?
Medicare, Mainecare, and most private insurances will cover home health services. CHCS staff will work with your primary care physician, hospital physician and/or other healthcare providers to determine whether home health services are right for you. A Registered Nurse or therapist will come to your home and provide an evaluation to identify your health care needs.
How do I access services or get more information?
You can call and ask to speak with our intake nurse who will help answer any other questions you might have. (207) 922-4601.
Nursing
Our skilled nursing staff will work with your doctor and any other members of your health care team to plan and coordinate the care you might need at home. Our home health nurses will educate you and your family members on your disease process, injury, or illness. We will empower you to be in charge of your health. Our nurses will provide professional care in your home for services related, but limited, to:
- Disease management and teaching of how to better manage your medical conditions
- Medication management, teaching, and administration
- Health assessment and education
- Post-surgical management (when recovering from a surgery)
- Post stroke rehabilitation
- IV therapy
- Wound care assessment and treatment
- Assess changes in your medical condition at each home visit and report assessment findings to your physician, as needed
- Measuring blood pressure, pulse, respirations, lung sounds, blood glucose, or pulse oximetry, as ordered by your doctor
The care you receive is designed around your health care needs. We want to help you prevent unnecessary hospital and emergency room visits. Our nursing staff is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Physical and Occupational Therapy
Our physical and occupational therapists will help you return to the activities you enjoy most. These services are designed to provide you with the care that will improve your ability to perform activities of daily living, as well as maintain your independence and safety at home. Our various rehabilitation programs are designed specifically for you depending on your needs. Treatment topics may involve:
- Fall risk/balance improvement
- Cardiac rehabilitation following heart surgery
- Stroke or other neurological issues
- Management of COPD and other medical conditions
- Hip or knee replacement
- Bone fractures
- Osteoarthritis/Osteoporosis
- Wounds
- Personal care deficits
- Limited vision issues
- Improving/Managing activities of daily living
Some of the signs that you might benefit from physical or occupational therapy include:
- History of falls and/or increasing difficulty walking
- Difficulty performing tasks in the home due to poor vision, weakness, balance problems
- Increasing weakness due to COPD
- Recent surgery or medical procedure
- Increasing loss of motion, strength in your hands, arms and legs
- Pain that interferes with performing daily activities
- Difficulty showering, toileting or performing other essential tasks
Speech Therapy
Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), sometimes called a speech therapist, will work with your doctor and other home health care team in the evaluation and treatment of breathing, swallowing, speaking, and communication disorders. Conditions may include recovery from a stroke, trauma or other neurological conditions.
Some of the signs that you might benefit from speech therapy may include:
- Difficulty communicating (understanding, following commands, and/or word finding, etc.)
- Problems with memory and judgement
- Difficulty swallowing (coughing, complaints of food sticking in throat, drooling, etc.)
- Difficulty hearing and comprehension (unable to understand what others are saying)
One of our CHCS speech therapists will come to your home and do an in depth evaluation of your therapy and healthcare needs.
Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA)
Our CNA’s under the supervision of the nurse will help you with personal care, including bathing, dressing, grooming, hair care, oral hygiene, skin care, foot care, feeding, toileting, and moving about your home safely. They can also help you with exercise programs designed by a physical or occupational therapist. They work closely with other members of your healthcare team, to help you maintain your health, recover from an injury or illness or remain independent at home.
Social Work
Social Workers have a strong desire to improve people’s lives. Our social workers can help resolve social or emotional problems that might be slowing down your recovery. They can also help you find community resources or other forms of support that you may be qualified for.
Wound Care services
Our wound care specialist is available to consult with your health care team on complicated wounds, pressure ulcers, ostomy concerns and/or any other potential skin care problems. Taking care of wounds at home can be a challenge. Our high quality nursing care can help you prevent unwanted trips to the emergency room and hospital re-admissions as a result of your wound. Our nurses and physical therapists are trained to provide quality wound care and receive education annually for best practice in wound management.
Telehealth
As part of the care we provide under our Chronic Disease Management program we will work with your physician and evaluate if telehealth could benefit you. Often times telehealth decreases anxiety by providing you with a sense of security. Our telehealth equipment allows a nurse to monitor you everyday from home and keep you from going back to the hospital. The Telemonitoring equipment (including a blood pressure monitor, scale and pulse oximeter) is very easy to use. If you have been diagnosed with CHF, COPD, or Asthma, telehealth might be right for you.