Traverse City Record-Eagle

Your Views

October 20, 2009

Letters to the Editor: 10/20/2009

Home an alternative

I'm disappointed the article "Some nursing home elderly get futile care" that ran on the front page of the Oct. 15 edition didn't mention the alternative of home health care.

Home health care is a growing and much-needed industry that offers a safe and compassionate option for family members to keep their loved ones at home.

The vast majority of the professionals working in home health care do so because of their caring, compassionate and giving personalities.

Home health care agencies offer families the peace of mind of background-checked and competency-verified caregivers to provide quality non-medical and medical care to loved ones in familiar and safe surroundings.

Agencies can provide services as varied as light housekeeping and personal care assistance by caregivers to medication administration by registered nurses under a physician's orders to case management oversight of a loved one in a nursing home facility.

Every study conducted has shown that people do better in their own homes, even at the end of life, and home health care is a high-quality substitute to nursing home care.

Rita Daniels
Fife Lake

The writer is a registered nurse and director of nursing for Brightstar Healthcare.

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