Avera Private-Duty/Private-Pay Services
Maintenance Nursing
Living with chronic disease can be challenging. The services provided through maintenance nursing help people manage disease while remaining at home. Some of the duties of maintenance nurses include:
- Medication set-up
- Diabetes monitoring
- General health status monitoring
- Foot care
- Telehealth and home monitoring (where available)
Maintenance Home Health, Chore and Homemaker Services
Managing household and personal care tasks can be difficult for people aging or living with chronic diseases. Services provided on an intermittent basis can help the patient remain at home. Maintenance home health aides can:
- Assist with bathing, grooming and personal hygiene
- Run errands
- Purchase groceries and other items
- Prepare meals
- Help the patient eat during meal times
- Complete light housekeeping tasks
- Do laundry
- Transfer the patient at bedtime (varies by agency)
- Assist with the patient’s correspondence
- Provide companionship
Private-Duty
Private-duty clinicians assist caregivers (parents, children or spouses) to meet the home care patient’s needs. Registered nurses or licensed practical nurses manage more complex health conditions such as quadriplegia, pediatric conditions or patients requiring ventilators, intravenous feeding or feeding tubes.
Medical Social Work
Not only does illness affect physical well-being, but also it can have a social, environmental, emotional and financial impact. Avera medical social workers help the patient and family members cope with the problems associated with illness, disability or impending death. Working with the patient and caregivers, either individually or as a group, Avera medical social workers assess problems, needs and coping mechanisms. They can direct the patient to community education, counseling and support resources.
Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy
Three general therapy areas may be available for homebound individuals through the private-pay program:
- Physical therapy: Avera Home Health physical therapists provide services to help restore function, increase strength, improve mobility and balance, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease.
- Occupational therapy: Avera Home Health occupational therapists help the patient regain independence in everyday activities after an accident or illness.
- Speech therapy: Avera Home Health speech therapists address problems related to cognition (memory), communication and swallowing disorders.
Insurance Coverage Information
The patient’s home care provider can give information on how to determine eligibility for funding for these programs and service availability in specific locations.