Blogging got away from me this summer. At the end of July, I got sick with what the doc eventually said was either the flu or covid, but it was too late to test by that time. Then Tim got sick and ended up in the hospital for a week with covid and double pneumonia.

He’s home now and recovering well - I’m grateful and he’s happy to be home again.

I decided to share our experience with home health care. Since all of this was new to us, I don’t know if our experience is the norm, but thought I’d share in case it’s all new to someone else.

The hospital filled up while Tim was there, so once they got him on his feet without oxygen, they sent us home because they needed the bed. But they ordered Home Health Care, saying he needed physical therapy, and that’s what we expected.

Tim left the hospital on the 19th. To simply things, I’ll list the dates and duties of Home Health below (we also had 3 doc appts scattered in the middle of all these dates, and perhaps only introverts and hermits like myself can understand my feelings about this schedule). Appointments on the same day were sometimes just minutes apart.

Rather than using names, I identify each therapist and nurse with an assigned number (yes, as confusing in person as it is in writing):

8/22 - Home Care Intake - Person 1: she took vitals and did all the paperwork

8/23 - Physical Therapy Intake - Person 2: he checked vitals, assessed Tim’s abilities, and did paperwork

8/27 - Physical Therapy Begins - Person 3: he checked vitals, had Tim different ways (regular, high-steps, and a “cowboy” walk - wide steps) in a few laps around our apartment

8/28 - Home Nurse Begins - Person 4: she checked vitals and listened to his lungs; she heard crackling so she called the doc who put him on Mucinex.

8/29 - Physical Therapy 2 - Person 3: he checked vitals, took Tim for a walk outside.

8/29 - Occupational Therapy Intake - Person 5: he checked vitals, tested Tim’s grip and arm strength, showed him some stretchy band exercises, and did paperwork.

9/2 - Physical Therapy 3 - Person 3: checked vitals, had Tim do several exercises in the kitchen for balance

9/4 - Home Nurse - Person 4: checked vitals, listened to his lungs, and said she was no longer needed, so she was requesting discharge, but that a discharge nurse would have to visit to assess and do the paperwork.

9/5 - Occupational Therapy - Person 6: she checked vitals, had Tim do a series of three different arm exercises with a 2 lb weight. Since Tim can shower on his own (and has the entire time), she said she was no longer needed, so she requested discharge, but the discharge therapist would have to visit to assess and do the paperwork.

9/9 - Physical Therapy - Person 3: checked vitals; Tim asked to do stairs, so PT walked with him (with a safety belt) and they climbed up and down a set of stairs and walked around the property. Said the next visit, sometime this week, would be from his boss, PT Intake - Person 2 - to determine if PT is still needed.

9/11 - 9:03 PM - Discharge Nurse - Person 7 - called to say she would be here at 2 pm tomorrow.

Tim monitors his blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar, and oxygen twice a day and keeps it in a log, because one of his doctors requested that years ago, and he just kept up the practice, even after changing doctors. On days when one of the nurses or therapists arrived, his vitals were sometimes take 3 or 4 times within just a couple of hours.

Home Nurse - Person 4 - informed Tim’s doctor that we requested discharge, but we did not. She said she wasn’t needed, and we agreed with her, but we were surprised she ordered discharge so soon.

None of the nurses/therapists ever scheduled a set time with us - most text us 45 minutes to an hour before they arrive, and that’s the only schedule we get. We finally got the physical therapist (Person 3, who has been amazing) to understand that we need some kind of set routine, so at least now, we have a general idea of when he’ll show up, but no one else.

Most of this process has seemed unnecessary and inefficient, except the physical therapy, so it just makes me think that everyone has to get their own piece of the pie at some point.

Have you dealt with Home Health before? What was your experience like?

PS Side Note Rant

(Not connected to the Home Health Care service):

The day before Tim was released, someone in the social services of the hospital sent someone to sign us up for a program that monitors Tim’s vitals through Bluetooth-enabled devices that work with an app. The representative walked us through the process like it was part of the hospital’s at-home plan, or part of our doctor’s plan.

I asked the rep in the hospital room if this was a sales pitch to buy something, and he assured me it was not, that it was a hospital service and that insurance covered it. I still felt uneasy about it, but wanting to make sure Tim was okay, I agreed to it.

Within a week or so, we had the blood pressure device and the case manager had called once and then texted. By that time, the hospital fog had cleared a little, so I asked her where the monitoring results went - who got them? She said a panel of RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. I asked what happened if the readings were out of whack. She said that one of them would call the patient and urge him to go to the hospital. I asked if his doctor is made aware of the monitoring, and they are not. She did not know who actually got the readings, except whoever was happened to be on call with their company.

None of that felt right to me, so I canceled the service. They told me the blood pressure cuff was ours to keep.

So they got their insurance money, didn’t they? Sigh.

Lesson learned.