CovenantCare at Home Helps 99-Year-Old Woman Stay Out of the Hospital -- Home Healthcare, Committed Physicians Could Save $17 Billion Annually in Hospital Readmissions Medicare Costs

    CAROL STREAM, IL, December 02, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Hildred is 99 years old; like most people her age, she has medical conditions. Arthritis, hypertension, macular degeneration, hyperthyroidism and the most critical, congestive heart failure (CHF).

But when you visit her, you'd never know it. She fills her bird feeders outside her beautiful apartment in Windsor Park, a Covenant Retirement Community and takes daily walks around the grounds. She writes poetry, creates artwork that adorns her walls, is still active in the book club she started, and has lunch and dinner with friends.

She doesn't look, or act, her age; more like someone at least 20 years younger.

What has kept Hildred from being admitted to the hospital, where the average Medicare cost of treating CHF is $20,000, is a small care team - her daughter, a doctor who didn't just "automatically" admit her when her CHF symptoms worsened, and a nurse and nursing aide who manage and monitor her medications and overall health conditions every day. Her home care typically costs $152 per week.

If everyone had care like this, Medicare estimates its savings from hospital readmissions alone would be $17 billion annually. In fact, it is now rolling out a national program that will support better communication among aftercare providers and, starting next year, penalizing hospitals that underperform on hospital readmission rates. (See related fact sheet: http://www.covenantcareathome.org/resources-news/press-releases/home-health-care-a-cost-savings-solution-for-medicare-senior-rehospitalizations/ )

"I think I've done it myself," says Hildred, the very independent former teacher, mother of two, grandmother of four and great grandmother of five, when first asked how she's been able to stay out of the hospital. But then, she admits, "Well, I have to give the nurses some credit. If there is anything wrong, they're onto it immediately. They come to my apartment every day and also call me. They have been very good in keeping a relationship with how I'm feeling and noticing things that may need attention."

CHF is a chronic illness, one of three leading causes of hospitalization among the elderly. "It goes from stabilized to recurrence of symptoms very rapidly," explains her registered nurse, Rosann Forni of CovenantCare at Home.

In April, Rosann noticed that Hildred had shortness of breath, swelling in her legs, fluid retention and changes in her blood pressure. She immediately contacted Hildred's daughter Carol, who lives an hour's drive away, and then her physician, Dr. Kenneth Ha.

"When she came in, I suspected CHF and confirmed that," explained Dr. Ha. "We could either admit her to the hospital or try to treat her as an outpatient. In cases like this, hospitals can be almost counterproductive at times. For the geriatric population, there can be issues with increased confusion of the patient, and a prolonged stay can lead to physical problems and the risk of infection. So, initially I decided to treat her with medications."

Dr. Ha said that having home health care was ideal for Hildred's situation. "For the next month or two, there was a good amount of going back and forth" with Rosann, adjusting Hildred's medications and monitoring her conditions every day.

In fact, says Dr. Ha, "Medication monitoring is huge in treating the geriatric population. At first, patients are resistant to having help because they want to retain their independence. The first step is getting them to realize that they need someone to help them. Otherwise they'll say, 'I'll take care of myself now; I'm not going to pick up the phone and call you.' But they could be very sick."

Dr. Ha relies on home health care to monitor his patients. "I just feel like it's almost impossible to deal with elderly patients the way you should without it. Rosann is my eyes when I can't be there," he said.

Hildred's CHF is in remission now. This has enabled her to stay in her Windsor Park apartment, where she has lived for 22 years. "Of course, you want to stay in your own home," she says. And, countless studies show that the elderly recover faster and enjoy a better quality of life if they are able to stay at home.

"It is a wonderful life here at Windsor," she concludes.

One that her healthcare team is committed to maintain.

CovenantCare at Home is a non-profit, Chicago based, Medicare-certified Home Health, Hospice, and Personal Care healthcare provider. It is affiliated with Covenant Retirement Communities (CRC), one of the largest networks of residential communities for seniors in the country. CovenantCare is also a medical partner to hospitals, physicians, and residential care facilities to provide Medicare-certified skilled healthcare, personal care and hospice services - with a focus on patient-centered care and teamwork among all medical providers.

CovenantCare's services are grounded in a 125-year Christian heritage of service and healthcare outreach. For more information about Hospice of CovenantCare and Covenant Care at Home, visit www.CovenantCareatHome.org.

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