Weekly Pulse for February 21, 2022

Home Health (Therapy) Start DateHospice (Nursing) Start Date
Clarkston2/222/22
Lewiston2/222/22
Moscow2/232/21
Orofino2/232/21
***Start Dates are contingent on receiving a complete referral***

Clinical Focus

February is Cardiac Awareness Month!

Changes in cardiac management, such as new medications, learning to self-monitor weight and edema, changes in energy levels, or ability to care for one’s self in the home are all reasons for home health. Our role is to put your plan into action, follow-up with you on obstacles, and help our patients life their best life. We are excited to support patients.

Question Corner

What services are available on home health?

¨ Skilled nursing                                                                  Social Work

¨ Physical therapy                                                         Medical dietitian     

¨ Occupational therapy                                                Nursing aide

¨ Speech-language pathology

 

What services are available on hospice?

¨ Skilled nursing

¨ Social Work

¨ Chaplain

¨ Nursing aide

¨ Massage therapy

If you have questions, send us an email at info@EliteHHH.com  

People to know

Clarkston Liaison – Jana (509) 220-6766

Lewiston Liaison – Beth (509) 254-1381

Moscow & Orofino Liaison – Scott (509) 234-3102

Business Development – Ashley (509) 843-7605

Am I doing enough to keep my heart healthy?

The internet is full of information. Some can be very helpful, and some is just wrong. Even with helpful and accurate sources, knowing how to implement the information is critical to getting the benefit. Heart health is a hot topic and lots of websites provide key tips and strategies.

At Elite Home Health & Hospice, we rely on information from our medical partners – doctors in the community – who prescribe treatment regimens for our patients. As practitioners, we attend training and complete ongoing education for our licenses to make sure we are providing care that is consistent with the latest research. While the internet can be a great source to gather ideas, our goal is to make sure that your care is in alignment with your physician’s and your goals.

If you would like information on heart health strategies. We recommend reviewing with your physician the following reputable websites :

heart.org

cdc.gov

nih.gov

These websites are excellent resources to learn about strategies to manage your health and create a plan which may include lifestyle changes, diet changes, new medication regimens, and establishing care with a cardiologist. This can often be overwhelming and difficulty to implement alone. Elite’s home health services are designed to partner with you and your physician to create comprehensive interventions that are critical in managing heart disease. Ask your doctor about a course of home health as part of your care plan.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Weekly Pulse for February 14, 2022

Home Health (Therapy) Start DateHospice (Nursing) Start Date
Clarkston2/152/14
Lewiston2/152/14
Moscow2/172/15
Orofino2/142/14
***Start Dates are contingent on receiving a complete referral***

Clinical Focus

Why home health for a chronic disease process?

Home Health is a collaborative approach that allows for allied health professionals, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, medical dietitian, social work, and aides, to support medical interventions designed by you, the physician. Services from skilled nursing are designed to support the execution of your care plan.

Collaboration means bringing in professionals as the need arises to support a patient’s health plan, reduce emergency room visits, and proactively address concerns before they become bigger issues. 

Question Corner

Why can’t weakness be used as a diagnosis for home health?

Weakness is a symptom.

Treatment involves understanding symptom origin. Knowing a primary diagnosis which may be causing the weakness allows for a comprehensive overview of preventative measures, anticipated changes, and proactive environmental and community supports.

Outcomes from home health should support long-term disease process management, awareness of potential complications, and self-advocacy from the patient for additional support.

This is why we work with you to develop a comprehensive care plan that addresses both the current condition and projected challenges. We utilize risk assessment tools to identify likely causes for hospital visits or in-home challenges.

People to know

Clarkston Liaison – Jana (509) 220-6766

Lewiston Liaison – Beth (509) 254-1381

Moscow & Orofino Liaison – Scott (509) 234-3102

Business Development – Ashley (509) 843-7605

Healthy Heart Habits

What can I do now to have heart healthy habits?

  • Get enough exercise. The American Heart Association recommends that individuals perform at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise.
  • Quit smoking. A smoke-free life improves your circulation, reduces your risk of certain types of cancer, and helps you feel more energetic.
  • Eat a heart-healthy diet. A diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish and seafood instead of red and processed meats is shown to improve heart health.
  • Watch your numbers. Get regular check-ups to monitor health conditions that affect the heart, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, and make sure they’re under control with medication.
  • Reduce your alcohol intake. Excess alcohol consumption can worsen health conditions that contribute to heart disease, such as high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and high cholesterol levels.
  • Watch your weight. Maintain a healthy body weight for your size.
  • Get better sleep. Most experts say that seniors should sleep between seven and nine hours each night. Sleep is beneficial for brain functionality, metabolism, immune functionality and emotional well-being.
  • Reduce stress factors. Stress can compound many heart disease risks that older adults already face, like high blood pressure.

Not sure where to get started with these recommendations?

Medicare recognizes the role of team in managing your health. The services provided under Medicare’s home health benefit is a free service that allows for a comprehensive and collaborative approach with your physician to manage your care.

Ask your physician if a course of home health can be a part of your heart health plan.

Weekly Pulse for February 7, 2022

Home Health (Therapy) Start DateHospice (Nursing) Start Date
Clarkston2/82/8
Lewiston2/82/8
Moscow2/72/7
Orofino2/72/7
***Start Dates are contingent on receiving a complete referral***

Clinical Focus

It’s Cardiac Awareness Month!

We are taking some time this week to focus on heart healthy habits and ways we can support patients with cardiac disease. Simple tracking tools like measuring blood pressure and logging daily weights are essential for basic health management.

Accessing resources in physical and occupational therapy to maximize endurance to meet daily needs, discuss a healthy diet plan with a medical dietitian, and identify community resources with a social worker to support health goals are all integrated services of home health.

If you have a patient who is struggling with a health regimen for their cardiac health, speak with your liaison about a course of home health.

Question Corner

What are basic diagnosis rules for home health services?

Identify the disease process causing the symptom

The patient may be weak, but what is causing the weakness? The patient may show disinterest in eating, but is this behavior related to loss of taste and appetite associated with aging and dementia?

Stating the disease process in your referral and your face-2-face creates a picture of the disease we are treating, not the symptom or the resulting behavior.

Specificity and Laterality matter

The patient may have arthritis, but where? Left side? Right side? Knee? Hip? Shoulder? 

The more information, the better!

People to know

Clarkston Liaison – Jana (509) 220-6766

Lewiston Liaison – Beth (509) 254-1381

Moscow & Orofino Liaison – Scott (509) 234-3102

Business Development – Ashley (509) 843-7605

February is Cardiac Awareness Month!

Heart disease can occur in anyone, but research tells us that there are certain behaviors and conditions that are more likely to lead to heart disease.

Risk factors include:

  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Poor diet
  • Inactive lifestyle
  • Cigarette smoking
  • Excessive alcohol consumption

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States. Unfortunately, these deaths are highly preventable when individuals engage in heart healthy behaviors and engage with their physicians for disease management.

Many people believe that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) inevitably comes with old age, there are many things that seniors can do to strengthen their heart and circulatory system.

Home health is an integrative approach that combines the medical treatments prescribed by your physician with specializations in physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical dietitians, and skilled nurses to create regimens and systems in your home as part of your disease management.