Home Care and Aging Services

Contact Us

Call
(231) 547-6092
or
1-800-551-4140
for more information or to make a referral.

The goal of the Home Care and Aging Services division is to help people live in the best health as long as possible with dignity, a sense of self-worth, and independence. This division brings professional health care services to people in their own homes.

The nurses, therapists, home health aides and social workers on our staff serve homebound older adults and anyone in our community requiring assistance in the home as they recover from illness or injury.

Home Health Care

A new phrase for an old-fashioned idea: providing professional health support services to people of all ages in their own homes. Home care services can range from health teaching activities to highly technical care.

To qualify for home health care under participating insurance plans, the client must be under the regular care of a physician, be unable to leave the home without assistance, and need intermittent skilled nursing and/or therapeutic care. Recent hospital discharge is not required to be eligible for home health care.

Anyone may call Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency to request a home health assessment; client, physician, family, friend, nurse, discharge planner, or social worker. However, the client's physician must agree, in writing, for the client to be admitted to the Home Helath Program.

Within 24 hours of referral, a health department nurse will contact the client to schedule an initial visit to ensure the continuity of care.

This first visit includes a thorough health and physical assessment of the client's condition, establishing a care plan with the client's participation and the scheduling of appropriate health team members.

Skilled Nursing Care
Our RNs oversee and coordinate the home health care team. They provide direct care and treatment as well as evaluate the individual and coordinate referrals for additional services. Caring and professional nurses administer medications, obtain lab tests, help an individual learn how to take their medications, assist in obtaining medcial supplies and provide home IV therapy.>

Home Health Aides
Our aides are valuable support for individuals recovering from illness. The experienced, certified aides assist with basic personal care, such as bathing, dressing, skin and nail care, basic exercise programs, and daily living activities. The aides also observe the individual and report health condition changes to the primary registered nurse.

Physical Therapy
Our Physical Therapists aid in each person's prescribed exercise and rehabilitiation treatment. They help an individual regain maximum flexibility and movement. Physical therapists also provide gait and prosthetic training, ultra-sound treatments, and evaluate the home environment for safety and independence.

Occupational Therapy
Our Occupational Therapists evaluate an individuals environment and provide expert assistance to minimize the difficulty of daily living tasks. The experienced therapists develop a treatment plan to increase a person's level of independence in daily living activities and provide instruction on adaptive equipment.

Speech Therapy
Our Speech Therapists provide a comprehensive training program. This includes evaluation and exercises enabling an individual to improve or completely recover speech and swallowing ability.

Medical Social Workers
Our MSWs assess an individual's social and emotional needs. Social workers provide medical; financial counseling for long-range planning, and assist individuals and their familes with referrals to appropriate community resources.

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Home Health Care

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