85 Years Of Home Health Care

WINSTED — In the wake of its 85th anniversary, Foothills Visiting Nurse & Home Care, Inc. is going through some major changes to both its Union Street location and its image. Sporting a new name and logo, the home health-care provider will now be known simply as Foothills VNA. With the acquisition of the property next door, an addition is in the works to accommodate a growing staff.

Originally established with just one visiting nurse in 1922 by the Red Cross, Foothills VNA has expanded dramatically over the years. With 60 employees providing care to residents in 15 communities, the nonprofit organization has added new technology to its comprehensive services.

“We provide services of skilled nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapy, medical social work, home health-care aides...and a myriad of other technological and advanced programs as well,� said Michael Caselas, executive director of Foothills VNA.

“With the aging health-care population, we are seeing that more patients are being seen at home,� said Caselas. Recognized by the insurance industry, “home care is the most cost effective way to treat patients.�

“With the advent of technology, there is much more we can do at home than we could do in the past. We are able to take care of patients much more comprehensively than we could do in the past,� said Caselas.

In recent years, Foothills VNA has introduced Telemonitoring.

“A Telemonitor is equipment we put in the patient’s home that monitors their blood pressure, weight and oxygen levels,� Caselas explained. “Hooked up to a normal phone line, the patient is instructed by the machine to do certain tasks. All readings are sent back here to a central monitoring station and a nurse can read their vital signs on a daily basis.�

While this service is currently being utilized by only 10 patients, it is ideal for patients who are homebound and living alone and need daily monitoring. Telemonitoring allows them to stay in their own home environment, yet receive medical care quickly should their vitals change unexpectedly. Additional information can be obtained with the equipment as well by program questions that the patients can answer to identify any medical issues that may arise from day to day.

“It is peace of mind that your loved one is being monitored seven days a week,� said Caselas.

Another piece of equipment Foothills VNA will soon be utilizing is a bladder scan. Purchased with money granted from the Auxiliary of Community Health, the bladder scan is an ultrasonic device used to measure the volume of liquid in the bladder non-invasively. Previously this could only be checked by catheterizing a patient, which can cause pain, discomfort and possibly infection, said Caselas.

Another advanced technology system that Foothills has introduced this past year is the Point-of-Care Clinical Laptop System.

“Laptop computers can now be taken right into the house to do all of the assessments and nurses notes,� said Caselas.

Foothills VNA provides a wide variety of services, including pediatric and maternal/child health care, wound, ostomy and continence care, IV therapy, hospice services, community vaccination and screening programs, therapy services, as well as many other home-care services.

“Anyone can make a referral for our services. Typically they come from hospitals, nursing homes and physicians,� said Caselas. “Individuals or family members can call for our help. We will get an order from the physician, do an assessment and tell them the services we can provide.�

Cost, always a concern with medical care, is not something that patients should worried about at Foothills VNA, according to Caselas.

“Over 99 percent of our patients pay nothing out of pocket for services from us,� she said. “We accept whatever Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance reimburses us. We also accept all patients regardless of their ability to pay due to our mission and our involvement in the community.�

Depending on a patient’s financial situation, there are different programs available that a medical social worker through Foothills will coordinate.

Foothills VNA is a state licensed, Medicare certified, CHAP accredited facility. For more information on the programs offered and the criteria for service, call 860-379-8561.

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