Celebrate National Care at Home Month

Hospice & palliative care organizations provide holistic care and support to millions of people, allowing them to recover from illness or injury, receive daily pain relief and support, or spend their final months at home surrounded by their loved ones.

Throughout the month of November, VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) will be joining organizations across the nation in recognizing and celebrating National Care at Home Month.  

For half a century, the collective care at home community – including home health, home care, hospice care, palliative care, and Medicaid home and community based services – has helped provide holistic care and support to millions of people, allowing them to recover from illness or injury, receive daily pain relief and support, or spend their final months at home surrounded by their loved ones. As our population continues to age, we must ensure our healthcare system is prepared to offer a well-integrated, person-centered continuum of high-quality care where most Americans would most like to receive it – in the comfort of wherever they call home.  

“Home-based care is a national treasure, preferred by patients and families for a wide array of care and support services. Patients, providers, and community members work to continue building critical awareness and protect access to home-based care for millions of Americans nationwide,” said Dr. Steve Landers, CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home.  

National Care at Home Month also recognizes the important work of unpaid caregivers, who often labor without notice or thanks. While the support of home care provides immense relief for patients’ unpaid caregivers, their commitment and compassion while caring for their loved one, is often at great personal sacrifice during an already emotionally and financially challenging time.  

VNAHSR provides services when in-home care is needed – or preferred. Our programs span a lifetime — from prenatal care to care for young families to rehabilitation, long-term care, and end-of-life care. We bring advanced care to our patients where they’re most comfortable and can heal the fastest — in the home. We are your local, non-profit VNA and Hospice, committed to helping anyone who needs our assistance. We serve patients, their caregivers, and families throughout Bennington, Franklin, and Rutland Counties.

More information about care at home and advance care planning is available from www.vermontvisitingnurses.org and on CaringInfo.org.

By Nicole L. Moran, MSN, BA, RN, Chief Clinical Operations Officer, VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region