Healthcare at Home Provides Peace of Mind to Families

Edwin and Lana London have shared many joyful experiences during their 62 years of marriage. The Reynoldsville couple cites their greatest joys as raising three children, and welcoming three grandchildren and two great grandchildren into their family. One occurrence that was unwelcomed was the health issues that Lana faced earlier this year. Following outpatient treatment at Penn Highlands DuBois, Lana was relying on her 82-year-old husband to provide care to her and help around the house. The couple found great relief and support during these difficult times, when Lana’s physician recommended hospice and Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home started services to address Lana’s health concerns and provide for her care at home.

“With the nurses and aides from Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home, I have the assurance that I am getting the right medications and excellent care,” said Lana. “Everyone and everything has been great,” shared Edwin. “I can get some things done while they are caring for Lana.”

At the London’s home, the Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home hospice team of nurses, aides, and physicians provides a full range of services. The nurses provide education to Edwin about Lana’s medication and how to care for her. They also provide supplies and equipment to make things easier at home. Edwin is a full time, loving caregiver for his wife, and Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home provides aide and respite care so that loved ones can have a break from caregiving duties. For people with complex or chronic disease, Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home provides many levels of services to address the needs of patients, families and caregivers to help them achieve the highest quality of life possible. In addition, for people who are at the end of their lives, Penn Highlands provides hospice care including medical care, pain and symptom management and emotional and spiritual support.

Home Health, including short-term skilled nursing and therapy that helps people recover from surgery, a severe illness or treatment for a medical condition, is another service offered by Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home.

“Our nurses, aides, therapists, and social workers are exceptional professionals who are thoroughly trained to offer trusted care and treatment for people with all types of needs and medical conditions, including cancer, heart disease and dementia,” explained Cheryl A. Mitchell, BSN, RN, Director of Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home. “Our team is comprised of very compassionate people who help ease the fears and stress that many of the patients and their families experience.”

Ethan Rosman had a positive experience with hospice care provided to his family by Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home. The 21-year-old, who lost his father in July, 2023, relied on the caregivers to help with his father, Joseph “Shawn” Rosman, who was battling a terminal illness. Penn Highlands provided hospice care to Shawn which helped to alleviate some of his end-of-life anxiety and provided peace of mind for Ethan.

“Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home was great,” said Ethan. “When I was at work, it was a huge relief to know that my dad was being cared for by someone who understood what he was going through and helped to make him comfortable.”

With the support provided by his Penn Highlands caregiver, Shawn was able to remain in the comfort of his Falls Creek home during the last four months of his life while Ethan could carry on his normal daily duties at work.

“Hospice care can sometimes be misunderstood,” explained Cheryl. “Hospice is a way to make a person’s end-of-life pain-free, dignified and peaceful. It provides a multidisciplinary approach to care and respite for the patient and family so they may spend the final months at home in a meaningful connection.”

The hospice care team at Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home provides care to patients in their own homes, personal care homes, and in skilled nursing home facilities. The hospice team works closely with the patient’s physician to design a plan to assess, monitor and manage symptoms to provide the highest quality of life in a patient’s final months, weeks and days. Hospice professionals support loved ones and caregivers by teaching them what to expect throughout the end-of-life journey, the best way to provide care and how to care for themselves during this time. Often, the most beneficial thing hospice nurses bring is reassurance to family members that they are caring for their loved one correctly and that their loved one is not in pain.

“I highly recommend Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home to anyone who may need this extra care because they were so helpful to me,” added Ethan.

To learn more about the services offered Penn Highlands Healthcare at Home, visit www.phhealthcare.org/hospice or www.phhealthcare.org/homehealth.