T.J. Samson | Destination Health | October 2018

October 2018 5 H ome is where most of us feel comfortable and where we hope to return after a hospital stay. But to recover in familiar surroundings, we may need extra support. That’s where home health care comes in. It can help if you: ●  ● Have difficulty moving after an injury or illness. ●  ● Have a wound that needs to be cleaned. ●  ● Take medicines, fluids or feedings through a catheter. ●  ● Need injections or other treatments. ●  ● Need help taking medicines correctly. ●  ● Need help doing simple, prescribed exercises to speed your healing. Home health care may also be tremendously beneficial if you need care and emotional support during the final stages of an incurable illness. SUPPORT TAILORED TO YOUR NEEDS Home health care includes a wide range of services. And de- pending on what you require, it may include one or more of these: Skilled nursing care. Here, a nurse will not only help care for you, he or she can teach you and your family how to manage your condition. Your nurse will also keep a close eye on your progress and communicate regularly with your doctor or anyone else in- volved with your care.That way your treatment can be adjusted if your health takes even a slight turn for the worse. Skilled therapy. A physical therapist can help you regain strength and mobility, an occupational therapist can help you regain the ability to care for yourself, or a speech therapist can help you overcome communication and swallowing problems. Help with daily activities. Home health aides can help you with personal care, such as bathing and dressing. In short, home health care can help you stay where you want to be. Sources: American Geriatrics Society; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services At home with care Call 270-651-4430 to learn about our home health care options. Private insurance and government insurance plans, like Medicare, may pay for home health services. Who hasn’t occasionally forgotten someone’s birthday or an easy word for something we always use? Hand me that thingamabob, please. And as we get older, some things may slip our minds a little more. Minor memory lapses that happen from time to time are normal as we age. But more serious memory or thinking problems may signal the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease. Talk to your doctor if you (or a loved one) are: ●  ● Having trouble remembering things recently learned. ●  ● Losing things a lot, or putting them in strange places and then not being able to find them. ●  ● Having trouble handling money or balancing a checkbook. ●  ● Making poor decisions, like giving away money to a telemarketer. ●  ● Repeating questions over and over. ●  ● Having trouble holding a conversation—for instance, because you can’t come up with the right words, finish sentences or call objects by their proper name. ●  ● Forgetting important dates, events—even the time of year. ●  ● Taking longer to perform everyday tasks. ●  ● Being confused about where you are or how you got there. ●  ● Having mood or personality changes, like being suspicious of other people or feeling depressed. If the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s, starting treatment early may allow you or a loved one to keep up with daily activities for some time. Sources: Alzheimer’s Association; National Institute on Aging Is it Alzheimer’s disease?