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Phoenix Home Care & Hospice

Home Health Care for Busy Professionals and Their Loved Ones

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The first wave of baby boomers has already reached retirement age and according to the 2010 census, the U.S. population 65 and older is now the largest percentage of the population. Many Americans find themselves caring for aging parents, whether due to long-term illness or just helping with everyday tasks that become harder with age. 

Caregiving often results in time missed from work and shouldering additional responsibilities. 

Melanie Upshaw with Phoenix Home Care and Hospice says there is a solution.

“Whether you’re a business owner wanting to provide resources for your employees who may be caring for aging parents or other loved ones or if you’re looking for yourself, Phoenix Home Care and Hospice has four resources/services that will make your life easier and save you a lot of time.”

Medication Management 

Making trips to the pharmacy, managing refills and setting up pill planners when you or a loved one are taking multiple medications can be time-consuming and frustrating. 

“If you or a loved one are taking several medications, our WellPack will save you time, reduce your stress and provide you with peace of mind,” says Upshaw. “It can be overwhelming managing not only your personal medications but also those of a loved one.”

“We find people are making anywhere from 2-5 trips to the pharmacy each month and with the busy schedules because of work and family events, it can be challenging to find the time to pick up medications when they are truly needed. These are some of the very reasons we decided to provide the WellPack. “

For people who use the WellPack, Phoenix synchronizes all of the medications so they come due on the same day. Routine medications will be sorted and packaged according to the time of day they are prescribed. Each packet reflects the date, day of the week, the time of day the medications are to be taken and a list of the pills inside the packet.  

There is a triple-check process to ensure medications are packaged correctly, which reduces the risk of medication errors. Each month, a pharmacy team member visits with the client prior to their next WellPack being processed.  Once this consultation has occurred, the client’s WellPack will be packaged and delivered to their home or place of business.

Home Health Care

If you or a loved one has had a fall, surgery or an acute illness, home health care is a temporary service to help during rehabilitation and recovery. Upshaw explains, “Home health was designed to help people who may have had a fall or hospitalization, something sudden and significant that wasn’t expected, and now our goal is to get them back to their previous level of health, maybe even a little better.” 

Home health care is a short-term benefit that may include a skilled nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and assistance from a medical social worker. These experts work with a client’s physicians in order to help achieve patient-specific goals of increasing strength, mobility, health and wellness. 

Hospice

Hospice is a program that provides care focused on symptom and pain management for individuals facing a life-limiting illness. “Hospice is often met with resistance because people often associate death with hospice. However, hospice isn’t about death, it’s about life. Hospice provides a team of experts to walk alongside patients and their families during this special time of life,” says Upshaw.  

“Each patient has a nurse, aide, chaplain and social worker who are committed to providing care that will lead to a higher quality of life. Our goal is to guide you through this time and focus on adding life to your days, not days to your life,” says Upshaw.  “One of the most frequent comments we hear from our patients is they didn’t truly understand all the benefits of hospice and if they had known what hospice provided, they would have started hospice services earlier.”   

The hospice benefit is designed to be a 6-month benefit but is often underutilized.  Hospice is a benefit covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurances.  Medicare and Medicaid recipients are able to choose any hospice that is approved to provide services in the area they reside.

Private Care Services

“If you have an aging parent or someone that’s in need of some extra help with tasks like vacuuming or laundry, personal care or just some monitoring of their well-being, you can have someone come to their home for as little as 2 hours a week,” says Upshaw. “It’s really customized to what you need.” 

Most people pay privately for these services but there are some specialty insurance policies that provide coverage for this benefit.  Each person has different needs and Phoenix works with the patient and family to design a plan to utilize what services are needed most. There is even an option to have a caregiver accompany the patient to doctor visits. 

“At Phoenix, we’re here to provide resources to save you time and give you peace. We want you to know that you’re not alone and that there are options out there for you and your loved ones,” says Upshaw. “If you have a home care need, Phoenix will be there to help you.”

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