Families caring for loved ones with chronic health needs often feel caught in the middle: You want your loved one to have the best care, but you also want him or her to have the comforts of home. With home health care services the goal is to provide both.

November is National Home Care and Hospice Month. As the name implies, home care simply refers to health services that are delivered in a patient’s home. And the services themselves can be quite diverse.

“Some patients receive rehabilitation therapy or skilled nursing care,” said Claudia Crawford, RN, BSN, CHPN supervisor for Community Health Professionals of Ada.

“But others may receive more targeted care, such as pain management, wound care, infusion therapy, medication management or hospice.”

When given the option, most patients would prefer to recover at home, but often family and friends can't provide all the care the patient needs.

Crawford says home care services help patients transition from the hospital to the comfort of their home, or simply while they’re coping with or recovering from an illness. A doctor helps you decide what type of home care assistance is suitable for you and your loved one, and the nurses and staff communicate directly with your physician while they are caring for you in your home.

“If a person has an illness or injury or is chronically or terminally ill, it’s important for families to know there are services available to help them care for their loved one at home,” said Crawford.

And in many cases, services such as in-home skilled nursing and therapy services, as well as hospice, have proven to decrease the likelihood of patients returning to the hospital, after they’ve been released by their physician.

“Avoiding a return trip to the hospital is everyone's preference, and it's what we want for our patients, too,” said Crawford. “Our services and our staff are focused on decreasing the likelihood of you having to return to the hospital.”

CHP Hospice offers a team-oriented approach to medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support to patients and families facing a terminal illness. Hospice services are available in the home and at CHP inpatient hospice centers in Van Wert and Defiance.

“We are unique because we offer a complete range of home health, hospice and related services,” said Crawford. “We are a one stop shop for home care services. Our primary goal is to make a stressful time much easier on a patient and their family by providing the very best care we can tailored to each patient’s individual circumstance.”

Community Health Professionals is celebrating 40 years of business this year. The nonprofit organization operates 12 locations throughout northwest and west central Ohio.

For more information, or for a free consultation, call to 419-634-7443 or go online to www.ComHealthPro.org.