CULLMAN, Ala. – Mayor Woody Jacobs on Thursday, Oct. 26, proclaimed the month of November “Home Care and Hospice Month” in Cullman, urging residents to recognize and appreciate home care and hospice professionals in the community. On-hand to accept the proclamation from Jacobs from Aveanna Home Health & Hospice (formerly ComfortCare) were Emily Hall, Jeremy Hogland, Logan Brooks, Jennifer Harbin and Randi Harrison.
“End of life decisions are hard for people and their loved ones to make – or even discuss,” said Jacobs. “Home health and hospice professionals not only meet the needs of patients who are dealing with serious health conditions or nearing the end of life, but they also provide much-needed support for the patient’s family.”
November is set aside each year in the United States as “National Home Care and Hospice Month” to honor all professionals who work in home care and hospice. Both home health care and hospice providers strive to provide access to individualized services based on a patient’s unique care needs and wishes.
Home health care is a wide range of health care related services provided for patients in their home. Registered nurses (RNs), under the direction of an attending physician, assess and monitor health care needs and provide a variety of skilled nursing services including medication management and education, wound and post-surgical care, pain management, nutritional support, dressing changes, diabetic care and more. The home health care team also generally includes social workers who help patients and families manage and alleviate the stress that medical conditions often create; home health aides who assist patients with the tasks of daily living and personal care; and therapists to help patients regain functional mobility, speech, fine motor and other skills.
Hospice care and palliative care are focused on improving the quality of life for people and their caregivers who are experiencing a terminal illness. The care team generally consists of an attending physician who coordinates care, RNs who cares for the patient and offers family support, aides who assist with bathing and dressing and other everyday activities, a social worker who gives emotional support and financial guidance, a chaplain who provides spiritual support to the patient and their family and other professionals or volunteers who coordinate services or offer non-medical care and support.
“In recent years, my family has had to utilize the services of home health and hospice professionals for several loved ones,” said Leanne West, executive assistant to Mayor Jacobs. “We are very grateful for the care given to our family members and for the guidance and caring support and concern they showed to us. I don’t know how we would have gotten through those hard times without them.”
According to recent statistics, about 12 million people in the United States require some form of home health care for conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, chronic skin ulcers, osteoarthritis and hypertension. Home health care offers security, dignity and the ability for patients to maintain as much independence as possible.
Approximately 1.6 million people in the United States receive care by hospice providers each year. The majority of hospice care takes place in the home, allowing patients to spend their final months at home with loved ones. Hospice care is covered under Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurers.
“Our community benefits greatly from the services of our home health and hospice professionals,” said Jacobs. “I am proud to help the folks at Aveanna Home Health and Hospice spread the word about these services by proclaiming November ‘Home Care & Hospice Month’ in Cullman.”
To find out more about home care and hospice services in our community, contact any of the home health and hospice organizations in Cullman or visit the National Association for Home Care and Hospice at www.nahc.org.
