Scott Webb (Host): It's been said that there's no place like home, and that's especially true when we've had surgery or maybe had a stay in the hospital or assisted living facility. And my guest is here today to share all the home services that Home Health and Hospice Care offers. 

I'm joined today by registered nurse Barbara Lafrance. She's the president and CEO of Home Health and Hospice Care, a member of SolutionHealth.

This is Your Wellness Solution, the podcast by Elliot Health System and Southern New Hampshire Health, members of SolutionHealth. I'm Scott Webb. Barbara, it's nice to speak with you again. We've spoken before about hospice care, and we're going to talk about home care today and everything involved. So, let's just start there. What are the different types of care that home care services typically offer and how do these cater to the diverse needs of patients? I know that there are diverse needs out there. So, how does that work? 

Barbara Lafrance: So, home care services bridge the gap between acute care services and your independence at home. This may follow a hospitalization from a surgery, injury, or acute illness, or it may follow a physician or urgent care visit so patients can avoid the hospitalization altogether. Our types of services that we provide can be broken into three categories. And Scott, we offer these services from all stages of life, from pediatrics to elder care. 

So, the first types of services that we offer, advanced treatments, these would be such as like infusion therapy, wound care, or medication management. And these are delivered by our highly skilled registered nurses.

Now, the second type of services that we offer are rehabilitation services with a focus on building strength and helping patients adapt to their home environment. And they learn how to become independent like in activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing. Those types of services are delivered by your physical therapists, occupational therapists, and our speech therapists. 

The third type of services that we can provide are specialized support programs. These are designed to improve the quality of life while living with specific health concerns. That could be something like respiratory illness, diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. All our services cater to the diverse needs of patients because we are meeting them in the setting where they live.

With Home Health Services, there is a one-on-one relationship with the individual, allowing patient-centered care. You know, Scott, when you enter into the door of a patient's home, it is an honor to step into their world. And we are trusted to help them get back to the lifestyle that they choose.

Host: Yeah, it's really amazing, eye opening and educational to learn, things we just don't know, you know, but we don't know, just how many services are offered at home. I mean, that's just amazing. You just know that folks are more comfortable at home. Everybody would prefer to receive this type of care in their home and just so good to hear that it's available, right? 

Barbara Lafrance: Right. 

Host: Yeah. I want to find out, you know, when we think about candidates and good candidates, who's a good candidate for home care versus inpatient care? 

Barbara Lafrance: Most patients, if they have the right support system, can be a good candidate for the home setting. Now, there is a time for inpatient care, right? So, when there's a 24/7 need and monitoring by a nurse or physician, you need inpatient care. But when a patient can move to a setting where daily monitoring is not needed, then they are a good candidate for home services.

We often find that with the right training and support, a patient who previously did not look like a good candidate could return home. You know, support can look different for each patient, and that's what's really important. So, it could be a family member that might stay overnight for a couple of days. Well, they learn how to care for someone or it could be a neighbor that can check in more frequently. And actually, with the use of technology now, the use of video monitoring can really add that extra support so you could be a good candidate to be home.

Host: Yeah. As you say, video plus, you know, smart watches and kindly neighbors, and everybody kind of pulling from the same end. Wondering when you think about home care services and sort of bridging the gap, if you will, with other forms of care, so how does it do that whether it's nursing homes or assisted living facilities? How does home care services bridge that gap? 

Barbara Lafrance: There are times when you do need the nursing facilities. So if, you know, you don't have enough strength, you know, to start in the home health service arena, or if you don't have those support systems in place and we need a little more time to help you bridge the gap. And then, you can come home from those facilities, then home care services are also available to help you learn to be independent from that facility to home. So, we provide the same services that can actually help you come into the facility and help you develop a plan so you can go home sooner. So, there is a need for those services, but we partner with you to help bring your home sooner. 

The other thing is to just think about assisted living. So, we see a lot of patients choosing assisted living, elder care in assisted living, and to know that lot of assisted livings don't offer that, the acute services that we can provide. So, we can actually partner with an assisted living to come in when you need more skilled nursing or rehab services and help you stay in that assisted living, where you want to be.

Host: Yeah, it's really nice. I can see how if you've been to a nursing home or assisted living and you're transitioning back home, being able to continue that care, as you say, it's really about independence and quality of life. And along those lines, just sort of thinking here, you know, how does receiving care at home enhance the quality of life for patients? We think about comfort, independence, emotional well-being, all those important aspects. How does it do that? 

Barbara Lafrance: So, staying in the setting that's familiar to you is less stressful and it helps in the healing process. Patients can focus on enjoying things that they like while learning to manage symptoms. So, our teams work with the patients on developing plans tailored to their home setting and allow a focus on real-life tasks such as, you know, moving around the home safely, using adaptive equipment, or practicing tasks like cooking or dressing that are relevant to the patient's daily needs.

We can also teach modalities to help with pain, swelling, or stiffness, such as the use of heat and cold therapy, how and when to use it so that you can enjoy those things that you like doing in your home. So, it's like real-life training. Our goal is always to help individuals regain as much independence as possible, by reducing their reliance on caregivers or moving to another setting. This really enhances a feeling of control for our patients and the well-being of patients and their families.

Host: Yeah, you mentioned families there, and as we get close to wrapping up here, and it's always great to have you on and just hear about the amazing things that you're able to offer people, you know, be it hospice, home care, whatever it might be, just thinking about home care and maybe how it fosters community and family involvement. You mentioned maybe a family member could come and stay over a little bit and help, you know, with that road towards independence. So, how does it do that? How does home care foster that sense of community, family involvement in the care process? And why do you think this aspect is so crucial for overall patient well-being?

Barbara Lafrance: When we help patients build their resources to remain at home, either through family involvement or community member engagement, patients feel so emotionally supported and more connected. Although these support services may have always been there, it often takes a home health service to come in and help patients and families put that plan in place.

We have seen so many families, neighbors, and members of the community step up when individuals need that extra support to stay home. Patients are often in amazement at how much the community cares and how others care for them. You know, now with technology, we're seeing a greater ability for family engagement across the country, so you don't even have to live so close, and many families don't, but they can do virtual reminders to, again, help bridge this gap from home. They can help us with reminders to the families, to check-ins, and it really promotes this well-being and feeling of support from the community. You know, Scott, the reality is there is no place like home and home services provides a wealth of support to help you remain as independent as possible, doing the things that you really like best and in the community where you live.

Host: You're so right. And maybe it's one of the few good things that maybe that came out of COVID, is that we learned that we can sort of still be with each other, but we don't have to be in the same room, right? 

Barbara Lafrance: Right.

Host: Yeah, it's so great. Well, always nice to have you on to hear about the things you're doing. I don't know what else you do, probably more besides hospice and home care, and maybe we'll talk about that in the future, but for today, thanks so much.

Barbara Lafrance: Thank you, Scott, very much. 

Host: And for more information, go to hhhc.org. And if you enjoyed this podcast, please be sure to tell a friend and share on social media. This is Your Wellness Solution, the podcast by Elliot Health System and Southern New Hampshire Health, members of SolutionHealth. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well, and we'll talk again next time.