Make the gift of health care during national Home Care Month

The Homemaker Health Services will join home health care providers across the state and the nation this November to raise awareness about home care during National Home Care Month.

“Home care continues to be the preferred means of receiving quality health care services. Today, more than 11 million Americans receive home-delivered health care services from agencies such as ours,” says Linda Howard, chief executive officer of The Homemakers. “Caring for adults in their homes is a privilege for us because we know we’re making a difference in these peoples’ lives - we make it possible for them to stay in their own homes, regardless of their condition.”

To kick off National Home Care Month, The Homemakers will be asking area residents to help them make a difference in the lives of their friends, family and loved ones by making a gift to the Agency’s Annual Holiday Phonathon.

In today’s modern health care world, people are not being sent home from hospitals totally recuperated and well. Instead patients are being sent home to continue to recover and heal, with the help of home care agencies, says Howard. “For more than 37 years, The Homemakers Health Services has been here in the community to bridge that health care gap between release from the hospital and recovery at home. Our goal is to make the transition from the hospital or a rehabilitation center to home smooth and successful by providing the individual, quality and professional health care services a person needs to complete their recovery at home; as well as to help prevent hospitalization and nursing home placement by providing home support service.

“Our home care nurses, physical and occupational therapist, home health aides, and members of our home support team make it possible for both people who are recovering from surgery or have chronic illnesses to receive care in their homes where they can be surrounded by loved ones and their own precious mementos as they live their best quality of life,” says Howard. “Through our annual Phonathon we hope to raise the funds necessary to provide those desired services to adults in Strafford County who need home care, but can’t afford it or for which there is not adequate reimbursement.”

During this year’s Phonathon, which will be held the evenings of November 7th, 9th and 14th, volunteers will be asking area residents to make a pledge to help The Homemakers continue its mission of keeping people independent and in their own homes by providing a wide range of home health care services.

“Home health care is regarded as the most viable solution for providing long term care to this country’s growing elderly population. Through technological advances, home-delivered health care has grown far beyond basic professional nursing and home health aide services,” said Howard. “Today, agencies such as ours offer a wealth of nursing, physical and occupational therapy, wound care, IV therapy, medical social work, home health aides, and home support services such as Alzheimer’s respite, homemaker and companionship and safety services.

“Our ability to continue to grow and to provide persons who are ill, elderly and/or disabled, as well as their caregivers, the services and the support they need is largely due to the generosity of those people who make financial gifts to our organization,” said Howard, “As you prepare for Thanksgiving and recall the gifts for which you are grateful, we hope you will also remember those in our community whose lives you can change. We hope you will help us to keep them at home where they want to be - where the healing begins – by making a gift to our Annual Phonathon.”