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Home Healthcare and Chronic Disease Management

A new diagnosis of a chronic illness can be traumatic. It usually comes with many new prescriptions and a list of confusing rules to help keep your symptoms at bay. Find out how home healthcare can help you manage your chronic disease.

Your Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio nurse will educate you and your family about your disease, treatments and necessary lifestyle changes. The rest of your care team -- clinicians, therapists and other professionals -- will help you learn how to prevent complications and recover if complications do occur. And, if you need assistance with household tasks and personal care, homecare aides can support and assist where needed.

Michelle Kerr, RN, chief clinical officer for VNA of Ohio, said patients diagnosed with certain chronic diseases, especially diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), need close attention from a Registered Nurse. In most cases, a visit from an RN will include an assessment and plenty of conversation.

“A lot of what we do is education,” Kerr said. “It’s important that patients learn the basic workings of their diseases. The biggest thing we teach is to be aware of their body’s signs and symptoms that can tell them that there is an issue coming.”

For example, newly diagnosed diabetics who are older and live alone are especially in need of in-home help as they learn what it feels like to have low or high blood sugar. Without that knowledge, they may be alone when the warning signs occur and uncertain if they should call for help.

TeleHealth In-home Monitoring

VNA of Ohio's telehealth (sometimes called telemedicine) monitoring program can be very effective for chronic disease management. Nurses can monitor a patient's vital signs remotely between in-person visits. If readings are not what they should be, the patient and his or her doctor will be alerted.

Patients with chronic diseases that progressively debilitate often return to VNA of Ohio for help during the later stages of their diseases. Homecare aides can help with everyday tasks, from self-care and grooming to medication reminders and meal preparation.

VNA of Ohio team includes a social worker to help identify options for long-term care in the home or elsewhere.

“We help with treatments to manage their disease,” Kerr said. “We teach patients to know their bodies and spot warning signs. We try to help them avoid trouble. And our goal is to help keep them in their homes.”

Call VNA of Ohio Today

Learn more about VNA of Ohio TeleHealth services, or call us today at 1-877-698-6264.