One of the many programs offered by our home health is disease management. This program encompasses several services and is meant to help clients better manage their chronic conditions. This month, we discuss disease management in more detail.
Chronic Conditions
Disease management is a program put in place to manage chronic conditions. For a disease to be chronic, it must last for at least a year and require ongoing medical attention, limit activities of daily living, or both. For more information about what activities of daily living are, see our previous blog post on the topic. In more plain language, it must be a long-term condition that affects your daily life. With our disease management program, our goal is not necessarily to heal your condition, but to improve your quality of life and help you manage the condition effectively.
Qualifying conditions include heart failure, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our programs are customized for each client. We collaborate with you and your doctor to make sure the program will suit your needs.
Disease Management Services
The specific services that are included in disease management programs depend on your condition, goals, and the recommendations of your doctor. Generally, the services include nursing care, rehabilitation, patient education, and in-home patient monitoring.
Nursing Care
In-home nursing care is a broad service that covers nearly anything a nurse might do to care for you. For example, it may include treating and wrapping wounds. It could also include helping you take medication.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation often includes occupational, speech, or physical therapy. The type of therapy depends on what your needs and goals are. For more information on the different types of therapy, check out home health therapy blog post. It also usually involves an evaluation of where you are currently. The evaluation might include your fall risk and how safely you can move around your home. From that evaluation, we’ll make a plan with you to help you meet your goals.
Patient Education
Part of the disease management program is education for you and your family on how to manage your condition. We want to set you up for success with as many tools as possible. It might include recommended exercises or specific diets. We might also talk with you about how to monitor your symptoms, activities, and other important metrics for your condition. The goal of patient education is to help you be successful even after we are no longer working with you.
In-home Patient Monitoring
Patient monitoring can overlap with nursing care. We will help you monitor your condition and address any issues that need to be addressed. Monitoring is especially important in the beginning of your care so we can get a baseline on where you are and what care you need. We might monitor your blood pressure, diet, heart rate, medications, oxygen level, symptoms, and more, depending on what levels are relevant to your condition.
Disease management can be an incredibly helpful program for our clients. With chronic conditions, we want to help you meet your goals and build healthy habits for the future. If you or your loved one could use help managing chronic conditions, contact us to learn more about how we can help.