ResCare HomeCare news — 03/01/2008

ResCare HomeCare in Atlanta lends a hand where and when it's needed.

A baby born prematurely in Atlanta gets extra care at home when he leaves the hospital . A senior in Magnolia enjoys the company of a caregiver who prepares his favorite meals, walks his dog, and escorts him to weekly meetings of his book club . A teenager with extensive physical disabilities is able to attend a local high school with his friends . A woman recovering from surgery receives wound care in the comfort and privacy of her home.

What do these very different people - with very different challenges and needs - have in common? All benefit from the services of the dedicated team at ResCare HomeCare, a full-service home care company serving individuals in greater Atlanta and across the nation. With the help of ResCare HomeCare's nurses, therapists, home health aides, personal care providers and companions, these individuals and many others receive compassionate and competent assistance to help them achieve maximum health, well being, and independence. Moreover, their families enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that their loved ones are in good hands.

State-of-the-art home care providers like ResCare HomeCare offer a far greater range of services than their home care predecessors, and serve a broader clientele. Providing everything from companion services to ventilator care, ResCare HomeCare serves people young and old, affluent and indigent, and anyone in between, whether they are ill, injured, or disabled, recovering from surgery, or simply need a helping hand.

The Atlanta ResCare HomeCare team came together when three home and health care agencies with deep roots in the community joined forces with ResCare HomeCare to provide the kind of flexible, customized services that only a company with national resources can offer. The former Magnolia Home Care and Kelly Home Care agencies brought extensive experience and expertise in high-end, private duty home care services. The former Southern Home Care team contributed expertise in providing quality skilled care, especially in pediatrics, as well as in traditional, non-skilled home care services such as homemaking and personal care and support. Together, the combined teams have the resources to offer comprehensive home care including skilled nursing, customized private duty services, and publicly funded services throughout the greater Atlanta area.

Through its skilled nursing services, ResCare HomeCare works with infants, children, and adults who need high-tech nursing at home or wherever they reside. Patients may be on ventilators, require IVs, or need infusion therapy. ResCare HomeCare registered nurses (RNs) provide initial assessments, case management, and ongoing supervision to ensure that each client's evolving needs are met with appropriate services. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs), also employed by ResCare HomeCare, provide hands-on bedside service.

Many of the children receiving skilled nursing services are referred from premier children's hospitals in the Atlanta area and from other large medical centers, according to Melanie Schwallenberg, Senior Executive Director at ResCare HomeCare. The program also receives referrals from trust officers representing children who have been injured at birth, she said. Adults are typically referred through their family or private physicians. ResCare HomeCare also works through medical agencies that call on the company to provide services that their agencies may not offer, including extended hours, and provides nursing staff for cases contracted through major medical insurance companies.

Andrew Gibson, 17 years old, receives nursing services from ResCare HomeCare 20 hours a day. Unable to walk due to the effects of muscular dystrophy, Andrew uses a wheelchair, requires assistance with many daily tasks, and must be on a ventilator 24 hours a day. But with the help of two nurses from ResCare HomeCare who accompany him everywhere on alternating days, and additional nursing assistance in the evenings and at night, Andrew is able to attend high school, play video games with his friends, and engage in other activities undaunted by the difficulties of attending to the technology that sustains him - including the ventilator as well as a suction machine and a G-tube that provides him with continuous nourishment.

The nursing services that Andrew receives from ResCare HomeCare are essential to sustaining his quality of life and that of his family, said his mother, Carole Sauers. "Andrew's nurses do everything under the sun for him. They go to school with him, help him with his homework, and take care of his medical and personal needs," she said. Her only anxiety about his nursing care is that one of his nurses may get sick or take a vacation. "It's very hard to replace them because they're so good," she said. Thanks to his nurses, Andrew even gets out to movies and football games and is the high school football mascot. "He's not a homebody," Carole said. "His medical difficulties have not restricted his activities."

Enabling independence and continued participation in valued activities are among the primary goals of ResCare HomeCare's private duty services, which are provided by home health aides, certified nurse's aides, LPNs, or RNs depending on client needs and preferences. Services are available from a minimum of four hours to 24 hours per day, and staff members offer everything from companionship to case management services and more. They may drive or accompany clients to appointments or cultural events, prepare meals, help with housekeeping, or provide skilled nursing services as necessary - doing whatever it takes to help the client continue to live at home or maintain a high quality of life. ResCare HomeCare provides services wherever the client resides, be it in the home or in a retirement community, assisted living facility, or nursing home. The company's private duty services are priced individually, based on need and location.

ResCare HomeCare in Atlanta also provides publicly funded services including non-skilled services and some skilled services, such as medication management and wound care. Funding sources include Georgia Medicaid waiver programs such as SOURCE and CCSP as well as aging grants.

For more information about how you or someone in your family can benefit from any of ResCare HomeCare's comprehensive home care services, or to arrange a free, in-home assessment, contact Melanie Schwallenberg, Senior Executive Director, at 229.242.2797, or visit the ResCare HomeCare website at www.ResCareHomeCare.com.