Liz Clements’ parents, Don and Ellen Hassberger, are ages 90 and 89, respectively.
They’ve been married 67 years, which means they’ve been through a lot together—including dealing with the consequences of aging.
Don battles the long-term effects of a stroke. Ellen recently broke her arm in a fall.
With her aging parents living right next door to her own home, Clements, a Grand Rapids-based artist, does what she can to provide them the physical support they need to live independently.
But there are limits.
For example: Ellen, who is quite frail, needs help bathing. She also needs someone to monitor her vital signs.
“I have no medical experience and I have a bad back,” Clements said. “I can’t be doing this.”
Just when Clements had almost reached the end of her rope, she learned about Carol Health, a new on-demand nursing service in West Michigan.
An RN within the hour
Carol Health is a new twist on the old-fashioned house call.
The inspiration for the Spectrum Health Innovations idea came from Mike Czechowskyj, a Spectrum Health RN. Czechowskyj’s 98-year-old grandfather, Bud, needs occasional non-emergency medical help. His children live hours away and Bud can’t get out on his own.
“It’s a big problem for people who need episodic care,” Czechowskyj said. “With Carol Health, people can go online or call on the phone, request a nurse, and someone will be there within an hour.”
Carol Health RNs are available to provide a wide range of services, including medication checks, vital sign monitoring, wound dressing changes, injections and reviews of hospital instructions. They also provide personal care for elderly patients and ensuring they are safe.
If the patient’s medical needs go beyond what an RN can provide, the Carol Health nurse will help the patient call their primary care doctor or arrange a video consultation with a doctor on the Spectrum Health app.
Patients can create a Carol Care Circle to include family members or close friends. This allows loved ones or caregivers, like Clements, to request care and stay updated throughout the process, even when they can’t physically be with them.
The cost for the RN service is $35 for a half-hour visit, with prorated changes if the visit goes longer.
“We wanted to keep it at a reasonable price,” Czechowskyj said. “And there are no long-term commitments or contracts.”
On-call family nurse
Clements first requested a Carol Health nurse to help her mother bathe and deal with a bed sore that had developed.
Then, when Ellen fell and broke her arm, Clements had a Carol Health nurse assist with getting her safely into the car. She also asked the nurse to join them in the doctor’s office.
“The nurse went with me into the appointment,” Clements said. “She asked things I didn’t even think of.”
Today, Clements arranges twice-weekly Carol Health visits for her parents. Although her dad was initially hesitant to have strangers in the house, they quickly put him at ease.
According to Clements, access to an on-call family nurse from Carol Health gives her peace of mind.
“The nurses are very conscientious, caring, kind and knowledgeable,” Clements said. “I was so impressed. You get the feeling that they care.”
This is one of the most uplifting and promising articles/services I’ve read about since becoming a caregiver for three family members over the past several years. Your program is and will continue to be a blessing for people who want to be in their homes but have multiple challenges traveling to a doctors office. We are fortunate to have a terrific multi-generational care team in place comprised of family and friends but none of us have medical training backgrounds. Even a routine car trip for a med check or flu, pneumonia, or new shingles shot is very difficult for folks who do fine in their homes but have great difficulty with multiple transfers in and out of older homes not designed to be barrier free as well as multiple transfers in and out of vehicles. Another bonus would be to add team members who have training in the dental field who could make a home visit to determine if a visit to a dental office is warranted. Kudos and gratitude to you!
Julie, Thank you so much for your uplifting message. Your family members are fortunate to have you and a care team in place who cares so much for them. Carol Health could definitely be a blessing for you, as could MedNow – where you can have doctor’s appointments online – through your cell phone or computer. Check out MedNow, too, as it may possibly help avoid transfers to the car and to a physical doctor’s office – http://mednow.spectrumhealth.org/?_ga=2.15038774.1494143178.1531490044-505151290.1518553342 Best wishes to you!
Julie,
Thank you so much for the comment. We are glad that you enjoyed it and your comment means more to us than you know! We appreciate you taking the time to comment and for sharing your journey. Just as you mentioned, we often are helping families just like yours who need skilled care, but in some cases like Liz’s family in the article, our nurses provide non-skilled care as well as some skilled services. Feel free to give us a call us (1-888-68-CAROL) if you ever need a break, we’d be happy to help.
Have a great day!
Mike C.-
This is an awesome service you are offering.
I taught kindergarten at East Oakview with Brandi (Mrs.B).
Thank you for being an innovator!
Warmly,
Karen
Karen,
Thanks for reading the article. We are excited to help people in our community. I will pass on a warm hello to Brandi for you!
Karen,
Thanks for reading the article. We are excited to use this service and help people in the community. I will pass on a warm hello to Brandi for you.