OMG FINALLY – Mom is home AND has Home Health Blog

Good news 21 days later, Mom is home, AND she has a Home Health Nurse, PT, and OT!

Yeah! Persistence pays off!

When I last left you, Mom was back in the hospital; her platelet count was rising, and we were in a little bit of a panic.

Her platelets were over 2 million, and we were a little nervous.

More pheresis, more medication, and one super scary A fib incident where her heart rate was over 165 laying in bed.

Mom was on the “ortho” floor. Why?

Because that is where a free bed was in the pandemic and you take what you can get! Her nurse Sara was super! She was not cardiac or from hematology, but she was knowledgeable, had an excellent bedside manner, and knew that she needed to get back up when the monitors went a little wacky with my Mom’s A-Fib.

So she called the critical care team.

According to my Mom, the critical care team came flying in to get her condition under control while Sara waved at my Mom and gave her the thumbs-up sign through the window. My Mom reported she thought she would meet God and come back to tell us about it, and Sara was an angel encouraging her to “stay with her.”

The care team got my Mom’s cardiac condition under control in about an hour. And then my Mom texted me and said, “Well, I guess it was not my time. I am still here!”

That was a heck of a text message. I am grateful she was in the hospital, and she was able to be cared for by the nurses and doctors so quickly.

This time Sara, my Mom’s nurse, identified early that my Mom needed PT and OT. She requested PT and OT bedside. After 4 Pheresis later and medication adjustments, Mom was ready to D/C!

And without prompting – the hospital Ordered Home Health!

(Of Course, it helped that Interim of Western PA knew precisely where my Mom was and was following up. As I had emailed them to tell them not to come out to assess as my Mom had gone back into the hospital before they could even get out there!)

Great news! And now I get to tell you how professional and kind the nurses and therapists were for my Mom!

With my Mom’s platelets being dramatically reduced to about 550k, she is much more functional. However, she is weak and still a fall risk. She has a new diagnosis of Afib and new medication. My brother and I will take turns taking her to her appointments, but she is looking ‘more like her old self” than I have seen her in a long time.

The nurses are helping her understand her disease process and educating her on “what pill to take when.”

The therapists are helping her get stronger and increase her endurance. They are also helping her understand the limitations and compensation techniques to be independent in the home. In addition, we have activated a telemonitoring device, Pro-Health, from ECG to be safe, and I can monitor her vital signs from afar.

As one of our favorite coaches, Michelle, reminds us, “It takes a team”!

I am grateful to everyone on my Mom’s care team for helping us get her back to her home.

Her patient-centered goal is to get “back to dancing.” – Hopefully, soon, I will be writing a blog about how Mom is dancing again!

Marketing lessons learned from Moms readmission:

• Persistence pays off! Man, did I fight for my Mom to have Home Health. It boggles my mind how much effort I had to put forth to get mom home health. Patient advocacy is what we do every day.

This was a HUGE reminder that our referral sources are doing the best they can – in unusual conditions during this pandemic. They are tired. We are not top of mind which is why you have to CONSISTENTLY be out there sharing your message of Home Care, Home Health, and Hospice!

• Get help when you need it! Sara (bless her heart) was an ortho nurse. However, due to the hospital being full, she had my Mom – a cardiac / hematology patient. When she didn’t know what to do, she called in the critical care team!

As a home care marketer, home health liaison, or hospice representative, there are PLENTY of times when you don’t know how to approach an account or get past the gatekeeper. Think of us as your Critical Care Team!

• We got your back here at HCS!

Remember, persistence pays off!

Melanie

P.S. Do you need Home Care Sales as your Critical Care Team? We got you covered. Click Here to -> Set up a time with Mike for a free consultation and discover how you can go from challenged to champion in just 90 days!