Hackensack University Medical Center’s Home Health Agency offers state-of-the-art, part-time intermittent home care for the treatment of many illnesses and medical conditions. Please see below for accompanying overviews of some of the major services and programs available. Services include, but are not limited to: • Skilled Nursing Care • Perinatal Care • Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy • Enterostomal Therapy • Psychiatric Nursing Care • Medical Social Services • Pediatric Nursing Care • Maternal/Child Health Care • Personal Care Referrals for home care may be made by patients and family members. However, home care cannot be initiated without a physician's order. Upon referral from a physician, a nurse or therapist will perform an assessment of the patient in his or her home. A plan of care will be formulated from this assessment. The nurse then coordinates with the home health team to provide home care services that are suited to each patient’s specific needs. Family participation is important. The agency’s team works to ensure that the patient receives the best care possible. The team provides family members and the patient’s caregivers with education, counseling, and support. Because members of the home health team have an extensive knowledge of community-based programs, they can make referrals to resources that best fulfill the patient’s needs. Skilled Nursing Care Hackensack University Medical Center’s Home Health Agency is staffed with highly skilled nurses who, along with a general knowledge of nursing, have completed extensive training in a variety of specialties. These nurses proudly hold Magnet Hospital Recognition for Nursing Excellence awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Hackensack University Medical Center is the second hospital in the nation to receive this honor. The nurses work closely with the patient’s physician to determine the best care plan and with the family to ensure that the patient receives care after the nurse leaves. Educating the family is an integral part of home care and must be maintained to enable patients to gain maximum effectiveness from their home care treatment. The Home Health Agency’s nurses are specialized in the following areas: • Enterostomal therapy: the evaluation and treatment of patients with ostomies, draining wounds, fistulas, and other major skin problems • Psychiatric nursing care: home visits for psychiatric evaluations, counseling, and referrals • Pediatric nursing care: for infants and children in all areas of home care • Restorative nursing: education in bed mobility, transfer, and ambulation Clinical Nurse Specialists The Home Health Agency offers the knowledge, experience, and skills of clinical nurse specialists, nurses who have completed master’s degrees and advanced training in their areas of specialty. The clinical nurse specialists consult with the agency’s nursing staff to provide patients with optimum care plans. These specialists include: Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist: The pediatric clinical nurse specialist provides expert care for the most challenging pediatric cases. Enterostomal Therapy Nurse: Certified in enterostomal therapy, this nurse offers consultation to other nurses working with patients who require wound care. The nurse counsels and instructs patients and their families on how to care for their wounds or ostomies. After evaluating the patient, the enterostomal therapy nurse makes recommendations for special equipment, treatment, and proper nutrition for wound healing. Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist: The agency’s psychiatric clinical nurse specialists provide psychiatric evaluations, crisis intervention, and short-term psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic care to home care patients. They also make arrangements for referrals to other psychiatric programs. The Pediatrics Program The Home Health Agency’s pediatrics program offers nursing, therapy, and social work services designed for children of all ages, from infants to 18-year-olds. The pediatrics staff coordinates with several state and medical agencies to provide sound pediatric care. The program’s partnerships include, but are not limited to: • The Toys “R” Us/Kids “R” Us Institute for Child Development at Hackensack University Medical Center: Working with the institute, the agency’s home health team consults with physicians and follows through on special programs for children with developmental needs. • Special Children’s Services and the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS): Working with these agencies, the home health team handles complex cases that require special assistance and care. • The Home Health Agency’s Maternal/Child Health Program: Among the services available are support to new mothers and babies, care for women with high-risk pregnancies, and follow-up visits to patients’ homes to provide instruction and guidance on newborn care. Rehabilitation Therapy This program provides care in the following specialties: • Occupational therapy: services include evaluations of arm and hand functions, perceptual deficits, and activities of daily living. Therapy is provided using exercises, adaptive techniques, and equipment to maximize independence and function in everyday living tasks • Physical therapy: treatment to develop or restore function, maximum mobility, reduce pain, and prevent disability following disease, injury, or loss of a body part. • Speech/language therapy: evaluations and treatment of swallowing and communication disorders The staff educates patients, their caregivers, and other members of the healthcare team in the care and use of appliances and equipment. Patients are also instructed as to how to continue their therapy regimens once their treatments have been completed, so that they can become independent and take control of their own lives. The Maternal/Child Health Program Under the direction of pediatric clinical nurse specialties and working closely with a child’s primary physician, skilled neonatal and pediatric nurses provide high-quality services including comprehensive physical, developmental, and psychosocial assessments. After initial assessments have been completed, individualized plans of care are developed that enhance health, growth, and family well-being. Medical Social Work Services From pediatric to geriatric care, the Home Health Agency offers a thorough network of social work services that include: referrals to community resources, short-term counseling for patients and their families, assistance in long-term planning for patients and their families, and assistance in seeking financial resources. All of the home health team’s social workers have completed master’s degrees and are experienced in working with the elderly. One social worker is designated to work with pediatric and prenatal cases. Patients are usually referred for social work services by their physicians or a member of the home health team. Personal Care The Home Health Agency’s certified home health aides provide patient care according to a plan of care developed. The activities that the nurse may delegate to the certified home health aide include, but are not limited to: bathing and dressing, exercise as prescribed by a nurse or therapist, meal preparation, laundry, and shopping. Because each patient’s circumstances are different, continuing education is provided to home health aides for unique and individual situations. In-house training is also done monthly to maintain the aides’ competencies.