Joann Ryan, RN talks to her patient, Evelyn Drelick during a home visit.
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 velyn Drelick has lived in her Mineola home for 44 years. Her house is filled with memories of family and friends. When she thought she'd have to leave her home because of health problems, her outlook for the future was clouded with unease. But, with the help of Winthrop's Long Term Home Health Care Program, Mrs. Drelick, who is a
diabetic, suffers from heart disease, hypertension and glaucoma, remains in her own home while receiving
the medical care she needs.
Years ago, after an elderly or disabled person became ill and /or required hospitalization and continuous care afterward, a nursing home was essentially their last stop.
Winthrop's Long Term Home Health Care Program, also known as the "Nursing Home without Walls," offers a positive alternative to people requiring a skilled nursing facility, allowing them to live comfortably and independently in their own home while receiving the long term health care they need through home visits by Winthrop professionals.
From nursing services, physical, occupational and speech therapy to nutritional planning and housekeeping the comprehensive services offered through
the program are unparalleled. In certain cases, the
program will even help make a patient's house handicap accessible, adding wheelchair ramps, shower bars and other possible safeguards upon returning home from the hospital.
"We encompass all of our clients' needs - mental, emotional and physical - and help them combine their new situation and care needs with their home environment upon returning from hospitalization," said Marianne Grady, RN, Director of Winthrop's Long Term Home Health Care Program. "This care not only provides them with more mobility and independence but with a positive mental well being, aiding in their recovery and promoting a better quality of life."
Education and social work are also important components of the Long Term Home Health Care Program, helping patients and their caregivers to understand and cope with their health problems, the purposes of their medications, proper nutrition, safety in the home and what do in case of an emergency.
Winthrop's Long Term Home Health Care Program is open to people of all ages who live in Nassau County and have a medical problem and/or disability that requires long term care. An assessment of an individual's condition will determine eligibility in the Medicaid reimbursable program with the approval of the Nassau County Department of Social Services.
Mrs. Drelick is proof positive that Winthrop's Long Term Home Health Care Program works for its patients and their needs. Living comfortably in her own house, Mrs. Drelick is now visited once a day for several hours by one of Winthrop's specially trained personal care assistants and once a week by a Winthrop nurse. They administer health care needs such as medication, and help her with daily living activities including laundry, food shopping, grooming, light housekeeping and accompany her to visits within the community.
"I couldn't be happier with the care I receive," said Mrs. Drelick. "The program and its nurses and aides take all the worry off of my shoulders. I am in good hands."
For more information on Winthrop's Long Term Home Health Care Program, call (516) 663-8050.
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