Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Home Health services 'at your doorstep'

There is an organization in Nevada County dedicated to compassionate health care delivered to your doorstep.

Home health, personal care and hospice services are available through the Arkansas Department of Health. According to Betty Thomas, registered nurse for the Nevada County In-Home Services, the main goal is to provide services for a homebound patient and support for the family of those patients.

According to information from the health department, more than 11 million Americans receive home health services on some level. Thomas says the service is in demand because it gives patients the option to remain at home while dealing with illnesses that might otherwise require hospitalization. For families, theres the opportunity to spend more time with a loved one - a fact that becomes especially important in the case of terminal illnesses.

Its more relaxed for them to be there, Thomas said.

Nurses can provide care on several levels, from help with daily personal care to skilled care such as wound treatment and IVs. Medical insurance will cover the services in many cases, Thomas said. If a patient has no insurance, there are sometimes other options for funding.

If theres no insurance and theres a need, well see them, she said.

For the nurses who provide these services, theres a better opportunity of bonding with the patient and the family.

Its one-on-one, Thomas said. And if you do this, youve just got a calling.

The hospice services are available only to terminal patients and Thomas said volunteers are utilized for some families in that situation. A volunteer who will stay with the ill person so that the family has an hour or two to run errands or just step out for a while are vital in long-term illnesses.

Thomas said the home health, hospice and personal care nurses serve as a support network for the families as well as the patients. And most important, the service provides an opportunity to remain at home rather than checking into a hospital.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Thomas at 8872640.