Care wherever you call home

Twenty years ago, Maureen Hurley was looking for a way to create a closer relationship with the patients she cared for. A nurse at Campbell County Health, she made the move to Home Health care and has never looked back.

“It’s a very diverse level of nursing care,” Maureen, RN, CHPN, said. “It often becomes a more intimate care experience. We are visitors in someone’s home and the dynamics are very different.”

Today she serves as the director of CCH Home Health and Hospice, working to ensure that all patients’ needs are being met. From wound care to IV infusions and medication education to physical therapy, CCH’s Home Health brings skilled care right to the patient’s home.

“In home health, we do a lot of disease management, teaching and post-operative care,” Maureen said. “We are in there to educate and help the family set up a plan to be successful. It gives us the opportunity to build some strong relationships with our patients in their own environment.”

Physicians typically refer patients to home health, which is certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), recognizing that the patient may need a more skilled level of care than they are capable of on their own. Many times those patients are unable to make it to an outpatient clinic on a regular basis to receive that care. Over the years, the services and outreach has grown.

CCH added hospice services to the home health program in 2003.

“End of life care is such a valuable part of healthcare,” Maureen said. “We can provide many services to our patients and families who are dealing with a life-limiting illness.”

At Campbell County Health, that typically means helping patients and families focus on the living they have left to do. Maureen said that end of life care looks different for everyone and her team is there to support that process. Hospice care doesn’t mean the patient is giving up. With good symptom management, pain control and nursing care, families can make each day count.

“My hope is more people become informed about what hospice is and what a benefit it can be,” Hurley said. “There’s a lot we can do to help people transition to this level of care.”

Maureen said she hopes that all families will reach out for assistance when needed, whether that’s for home health or hospice. Servicing all of Campbell County and parts of Crook County, home health and hospice serve patients near and far. Maureen encourages anyone interested in learning more about the services of Home Health and Hospice to call 307-688-6230 or visit www.cchwyo.org/hhh.

Interested in learning more about Home Health and Hospice care?

According to a 2012 National Health Statistics Report, home health care patients older than 65 were most likely to use:

• skilled nursing services
• physical therapy
• assistance with daily living activities
• homemaker services
• occupational therapy
• wound care
• dietary counseling

These are similar to all the services CCH’s Home Health program provides.

Home Health care services are being provided on a large scale across the country, and on a small, intimate scale in the local community. In 2013:

• 4.9 million people received some type of end of life care
• 12,400 home health agencies nationwide
• 4,000 hospices nationwide

Hospice Care: What to expect

Patients must be certified by a physician for hospice care, but patients and families can contact Hospice any time to learn more about the transition from curative care to comfort care. Patients must have a life-limiting illness with a life expectancy of six months or less. The timing of a hospice referral is critical, allowing Hospice to assist the patient and family in making that time as purposeful as possible. In hospice care the focus shifts from curing a disease to the physical, emotional, spiritual and financial concerns experienced by the patient and family. Hospice care is provided wherever the patient calls home, including The Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center, assisted living facilities or the Close to Home Hospice Hospitality House.