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​Home-Based Care at UPMC

In some circumstances, older adults may need additional care and support at home while they recover from an illness or injury, or to manage an ongoing chronic condition, or simply to maintain their independence. This is often the case following a hospitalization or nursing home stay.

UPMC offers multiple home-based resources that can assist in allowing an individual to live as independently as possible.

Most often, home based care is provided by a home nursing agency. Home nursing offer many services to patients and families at home, including:

  • Skilled nursing services
  • Physical, occupational and speech therapies
  • Nutrition services
  • Social work
  • Home health aides
  • Specialized services
  • Private duty nursing services
  • Hospice and palliative care

UPMC Home Healthcare

UPMC Home Healthcare offers consistent, compassionate, and quality home-based nursing services. Learn more here.

Home medical equipment covers such things as:

  • Wheel chairs.
  • Walkers
  • Hospital beds
  • Oxygen supplies
  • Bathroom safety components
  • Lifts

Typically, a person’s physician will prescribe the types of home medical equipment that are necessary.

MedCare Home Medical Equipment

MedCare, affiliated with UPMC, provides home medical equipment and supplies to patients and families and offers free delivery. Learn more here.

Private duty nursing services are available for patients of all ages in a variety of settings, including:

  • In-home
  • Hospitals
  • Nursing homes
  • Assisted living facilities

Private duty nursing staff, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurses aides, will develop a personalized plan for both short or long term care that includes:

  • Medically-necessary care
  • Personal services, such as help with bathing
  • Respite visit for caregivers
  • Companionship

Skilled Vs. Non-Skilled Private Duty Nursing

There are two kinds of Private Duty Nursing Services: Skilled or Non-Skilled. The table below highlights their characteristics.

Skilled:

Services performed by:

  • Professional Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses

Level of care:

  • Provide care for patients with advanced technology equipment, including respirator and intravenous therapies
  • Administer medications
  • Check blood sugar levels
  • Provide wound care
  • Give injections
  • Monitor changes in medical status
  • All skilled nursing services as well as all levels of care performed by non-skilled private duty staff

Non-Skilled:

Services performed by:

  • Certified and non-certified nursing assistants

Level of care:

  • Although they are not able to administer medications, they can remind the person that it is time to take it.
  • Homemaker
  • Personal care
  • Meal preparation
  • Light cooking
  • Light cleaning
  • Other daily living activities

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is a comprehensive, patient-centered approach to improving the quality of life for people who are living with a serious or potentially life-limiting illness. The main goals of palliative care are to relieve pain and discomfort and reduce patient and caregiver stress.

Palliative care provides treatment for a person’s symptoms, even if the underlying disease cannot be cured, and can give patients and their caregivers tools to make living with a serious illness more manageable.

Palliative care can be helpful in managing the symptoms of an illness, including:

  • Pain and nausea
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Stress
  • Depression and anxiety

Palliative care can be provided in many settings, including:

  • In-home
  • Outpatient palliative care clinics
  • Nursing homes
  • Hospitals
  • Other specialized clinics

UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute

The UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute (PSI) coordinates all of the palliative and supportive care programs and services across the entire UPMC system. Its programs and services are made up of a multidisciplinary team who are specially trained in the area of palliative medicine.

The teams work in close collaboration with a patient’s treating physicians, the patient and his or her family to develop a plan for care. This plan helps provides ways to cope with a serious or life-limiting illness and support, including:

  • Medical
  • Emotional
  • Social

What is Hospice?

Hospice is a specialized type of palliative care for patients suffering from an incurable illness or multiple illnesses with a life expectancy of six months or less.

Hospice care is focused on:

  • Improving quality of life
  • Maintaining dignity
  • Making patients as comfortable as possible

The multi-disciplined hospice care team can provide care in the home or in a facility such as a:

  • Hospital
  • Nursing home
  • Dedicated hospice care facility

When a patient receives hospice treatment, attempts to cure the patient's underlying terminal illness are discontinued.

A patient can elect to leave hospice care for any reason, including:

  • To resume curative treatments
  • If his or her condition improves
  • Personal or family choices

UPMC Hospice Providers

UPMC provides both facility-based and home-based hospice services under the umbrella of UPMC Home Healthcare across many Pennsylvania counties. Learn more here.

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