The decision to be admitted to a healthcare facility is never easy. With COVID numbers increasing, the natural tendency is to stay at home, have the support of your family and friends and avoid possible exposure in a hospital or other healthcare facility. Unfortunately, for some people, the decision to put off needed medical care can have a serious impact on their health and well-being. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 40.9% of U.S. adults have avoided medical care during the pandemic because of concerns about COVID-19, including 12% who avoided urgent or emergency care and 31.5% who avoided routine care. This means that people who may have suffered a stroke, hip fracture or have had chest pain with cardiac concerns have either considered not seeking medical care or made the decision to forgo treatment all together. This has led many to stay home and struggle, often relying on friends and family to help provide their care.
The good news is there are options available to assist those individuals who want to receive care in their homes. Home Health Agencies and private skilled and non-skilled care healthcare providers can provide some of the needed assistance at home. Unfortunately, there is a limit to what can be done in the home environment. When a loved one begins to fail at home, they lose their balance and have multiple falls, when they are not recovering as they should after surgery, when their pain becomes intense, when they become more debilitated or have progression of their Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis, what can be done to help?
One option to consider is asking your doctor to make a referral to an inpatient rehabilitation facility such as Mountain Valley Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (MVRRH). This referral allows a nurse from MVRRH to come to your home and evaluate whether you would benefit from an inpatient admission. Not everyone will qualify for inpatient rehabilitation. In addition to having medical and rehab needs, you must be medically stable, able to tolerate three hours of therapy per day, and have the potential to improve enough to go home safely. Perhaps by focusing on you and your medical and rehab needs, you can regain the strength and confidence you need to be more independent in your own home and in the community.
Nothing about health care today is “normal,” but that doesn’t mean that you cannot receive the medical and rehabilitation care that you need. MVRRH has taken the challenges presented by COVID-19 very seriously. We follow the recommendations and guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Arizona and Yavapai Department of Health Services. Safe practices such as screening, social distancing, hand hygiene, masking and environmental cleaning have become part of our daily workflow. To further protect patients and staff, we also restrict visitation from family and friends. We understand the hardships this presents and provide alternative means of communication such as “window visits,” FaceTime and Zoom.
It would be our privilege to help provide the care you need. If you feel that you need more care than is possible at home, talk with your physician about a home referral. We work closely with doctors, home health agencies and assisted living facilities to make sure that those that need more care, get the care they need and deserve. QCBN
By Sandy Tsang
Sandy Tsang is the director of clinical compliance.
Mountain Valley Regional Rehabilitation Hospital is a 44-bed, free-standing rehabilitation hospital that provides intensive physical rehabilitation services to patients recovering from strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, orthopedic injuries, and other disabilities caused by injuries, illnesses or chronic conditions. The hospital is consistently ranked in the Top 10% of inpatient rehabilitation facilities nationally by the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR). Mountain Valley also provides in-home skilled nursing and therapy services through our home health agency, Mountain Valley Home for Health, and out-patient therapy services in our 10,000-square-foot therapy gym that includes a therapeutic pool.
For more information, visit MVRRH.ernesthealth.com.
3700 N. Windsong Drive • Prescott Valley, AZ 86314 • 928-758-8800 • www.mvrrh.ernesthealth.com
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