One day I asked Dr. Jones:
Why do you refer patients to home care?
I was shocked by his answer.
He shared with me that, when he was a boy, his great aunt Cecelia lived with him. She was a widow. Her youngest nephew, Mark (Dr. Jones’ Dad) volunteered to let her move into his home when Cecelia’s Parkinson’s disease really took a toll on her ability to live alone.
Dr. Jones said, he remembered how much work it was for his mom to take care of his aunt’s needs. She needed quite a bit of care over the 15 years that she lived with his parents. They had to transfer her, toilet her, bathe her, feed her, and clean all of her clothing while managing just about everything (like medications and doctors appointments). All of it!
He shared that one day his aunt fell and ended up in the hospital for a few days. When she was discharged, they ordered home health. The nurse from the Home Health agency told them that she had a friend from a home care (private duty) agency and that someone would come over to see how they might be able to help make taking care of his aunt Cecelia a little easier on the family.
The next day Cecelia had a visit from the home care agency. They found out that she qualified for the VA Benefit because her husband was in the military. They were able to get a home care aide to assist with personal care for 4 hours a day on 5 days of the week. This changed the whole mood of the home. Now his mom had time to go to the hair salon and because she felt better about herself (and she had a break every day for a few hours) she improved her self-care. This allowed the whole family to benefit. Home-cooked meals were once again being made. Laundry was able to get completed.? The whole house felt better.
On the way out of Dr. Jones’s office, we ran into his partner, Dr. Kirkland. He introduced me and told Dr. Kirkland, “Tell Cheryl about your Aunt Cecilia.” I got a perplexed look on my face. I thought it was Dr. Jones’ aunt. Dr. Kirkland proceeded to tell me the exact story that Dr. Jones shared with me.
At the end, Dr. Jones said with a smile, “Aunt Cecelia is his great aunt, not mine.” He continued,”When I am trying to convince my patients to let home health or home care in, I always tell this story as if it’s my own because it becomes more believable.”
I was blown away! Not because he made it sound like it was his aunt Cecelia, but because he cared enough about his patients to share a true story they needed to hear to feel comfortable with the idea of home care. By sharing this story with his patients, he is able to improve their lives! I hope we can all find more Dr. Jones and Dr. Kirklands!
There are patients like Cecelia all over the country that are in need of help to stay in the comfort of their homes. There are families that take on this responsibility and just don’t realize how a patient could deteriorate over the years. It is hard to take care of a loved one for a few days, let alone 15 years!
Thank God for home care services. Thank God that the home health nurse had a friend who did home care. Too many patients already go without care.
Now imagine how easily you could help your doctors? offices to find their Cecelia?s? Well… we have your solution. Our Road Map of Referrals does just that.
Just watch the video below to find out what I mean!
Have an amazing day!
Cheryl Peltekis, RN “The Solutionist”
Co-Owner of Home Care Sales
