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 Caring for someone medically outside the traditional hospital setting is not a new idea. Well before modern medicine, people were cared for at home out of necessity. Caretakers of past generations usually consisted of family members or friends. Today, however, there are more options available, depending on the needs of the individual and family.
A shift in health care toward reduced hospital stays and an aging population are both factors that make home health, hospice, and elder care all growing parts of today's health care scene. Each of these care approaches serves a different, yet important, function in the evolution of modern health care.
Home health care
Home health care encompasses many services for many different types of patients, including, but not limited to, the elderly. Persons of any age who are disabled, chronically ill, or recovering from an acute illness may benefit from the services of a home health care provider.
St. John's
Home Care is a caring family of health care professionals who stand ready 24
hours a day to provide expert and compassionate home care services. People of
all ages, from babies to grandparents, receive services. The professionals at
St. John's stay in touch with your physician and tailor care to meet your needs.
St. John's can also help you with chronic and long-term healthcare, recovery
from an illness, injury or surgery, lifestyle-limiting illness and disability.
St. John's Home Care offers a variety of solutions to meet
in-home health care needs, such as durable medical equipment (DME), hospice care
and private duty nursing that ease the stress families face when caring for a
loved one.
St. John's Home Care professionals say that knowing the options and planning
ahead are the keys to getting quality in-home care for loved ones.
For more information about St. John's Home Care services,
please call 417-820-3211.
Hospice care
Hospice service is provided for terminally ill patients who prefer the peace, comfort, and dignity of being at home or in a hospice setting.
St. John's HospiceCare is dedicated to helping the terminally ill spend their
last months or weeks as pain-free as possible at home with their family and
friends. Having a terminal illness does not necessarily mean it's quitting time, HospiceCare Director Regina Wood says.
St. John's HospiceCare is able to deliver a new
kind of hope to patients 24 hours a day.
The HospiceCare team comprises social workers, chaplains, nurses, trained
volunteers, home-health aides, homemakers and bereavement counselors who provide
physical, mental and spiritual support for patients and their families.
HospiceCare treats the patient, not the disease. Emotional support is just
as important as pain control.
For more information about St. John's Hospice Care's services or to become a
hospice volunteer, please call 417-820-7550. HospiceCare has
offices in Springfield, Aurora and Lebanon.
Elder and long-term care
Elder care encompasses many services developed to help older people maintain independent lives either at home or out-of-home, and receive the best care when independent living is no longer possible.
St. John's
Mercy Villa provides a special atmosphere for patients and families where
everyone is treated as a person with something special to contribute. Nutritious
meals, exercise and social time are the priorities at the villa. Many residents
find increased independence thanks to staff who care about quality of life for
the residents. Mercy Villa celebrated its 50th year of caring in 2002.
Mercy Villa is located at 1100 E. Montclair
in Springfield. For more information, please call 417-820-8500. |