Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/1291546
9 TheSouthShoreMagazine.com HOW HAVE YOU SEEN HOME CARE EVOLVE OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR CAREER? In many ways, home care is now considered an extension of the hospital, or even a hospital at home. When I was a practicing nurse at NVNA and Hospice, we didn't have many patients coming right from Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and we saw a far greater number of patients attending post-acute rehab than we do today. The patient journey typically started in the hospital and transitioned to a post-acute rehab center before the return home. But hospital visits are expensive and, as I'm sure you can imagine, many patients prefer to recover at home. So today, the goal is to limit the amount of time that patients spend in the hospital and help them recover at home whenever possible. Patients are now able to return home the same day as their surgery because home health providers have the ability to treat them with the same level of care that they would receive in the hospital. In fact, the majority of our business is providing that type of complex care for patients in their homes. Working closely alongside hospital physicians and case managers, our nurses are providing skilled care and responding to a variety of clinical needs, including post-surgical care, medication management and disease care and management. They're providing an assessment of the patient's condition and needs, developing care plans, managing those plans and giving the patient and their caregivers the education and information necessary to maintain the patient's health, safety and independence. Another element of the evolution is the behavioral health component of care. Home health clinicians are now treating patients more holistically. Our nurses are providing care for their patients' physical well-being, but they're also supporting and educating their patients' families and caregivers and ensuring they have the resources to plan for a successful future once their physical care is complete. WHAT ROLE HAS TECHNOLOGY PLAYED IN THAT EVOLUTION? Just like almost every other industry, technology has played a huge role in the evolution of home care, and we're seeing that continued evolution in real-time due to COVID-19. Since March, By Erica Ford The Past, Present & Future of Home Care & H ome care has changed dramatically over the past 100 years. Not only have medical and technological advancements propelled the field to new heights, but the level and scope of care that is provided by clinicians has evolved as well. On the South Shore, no one is more familiar with this evolution than NVNA and Hospice, an independent non-profit providing the full continuum of care to patients and families in 27 communities. Founded in 1920, NVNA and Hospice is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It currently has a daily census of 600 patients and provides an array of services, from skilled home care and palliative care to telehealth and hospice care. It also owns and operates the serene 12-bed Pat Roche Hospice Home in Hingham. I had the pleasure of speaking with Renee McInnes, CEO of NVNA and Hospice, about the state of home care and NVNA and Hospice's long history of serving the South Shore community. McInnes is a registered nurse with more than 30 years of clinical and management experience who held a variety of roles at NVNA and Hospice before becoming CEO in 2016. She is also a prominent leader on the South Shore. Earlier this year, McInnes was named chair of the board of directors by South Shore Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the Board of Home Care Alliance, is an Executive Committee member for the Visiting Nurse Association of New England and serves on the National Association of Home Care Advocacy and Government Affairs Council. Renee McInnes, CEO of NVNA and Hospice