Help Choose Home

According to Betty Greaver, RN, LMT, it’s a common myth that aging means a person gains weight, has chronic pain and can't continue living a productive life. Rather, Greaver says, and research shows, there are simple lifestyle changes that people can make in order to remain active and have the capacity to enjoy life to its fullest, no matter what a person’s age. Greaver says that it’s important to pay attention to your health in the middle years so that you have optimum health in your later years and she shares three lifestyle changes that are important in establishing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Paul Kusserow, President and Chief Executive Officer for Amedisys, the largest independent provider of home health, hospice and personal care services in the United States, recognizes the growing pains and opportunities associated with change in the home health industry. In this Help Choose Home interview, Kusserow highlights two changes in the home health industry: one, the introduction of patient data grouping models (PDGM) in January 2020, and two, the influence of technology. Both of these factors are not only reshaping the home health landscape, but are also impacting individual agencies and their approach to delivering quality care.

It’s an ongoing struggle for those in the home care industry–how do we better communicate the value and benefits of health care at home? For Tim Rogers, who serves as President and CEO for both the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina and the South Carolina Home Care & Hospice Association, most of his 27-year professional career has been spent working to help home health care get its rightful due in the continuum of care. As an industry, we know there is a strong desire by older adults to age in place and to recover at home following a hospital stay. Rogers believes that referral sources understand this and can see the value of health care at home; however, he also sees that time and again, there are policies put into place that slow reimbursement or that cut benefits, making a referral to home health challenging.

Tarrah Lowry, president and CEO of Sangre de Cristo Hospice and Palliative Care in Pueblo, Colorado, emphasizes the importance of reaching out to hospice early and discussing goals of care during each health care interaction – from home health and palliative care to hospice care. The goals at each stage may change, but having these conversations early removes some of the discomfort that we inherently feel when discussing aging and death, and importantly, it enables the individual to make his/her goals known and provides the family with comfort knowing they are honoring their loved one’s wishes.

In this episode of Help Choose Home, we'll hear from Jamie Summerfelt, M.Ed, MSPT, president and CEO of Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) in Omaha, Nebraska. With more than 28 years of healthcare at home experience, Summerfelt is passionate about home care. Harnessing the power of community relationships is something that he sees as integral to the success of extending the capacity to provide health care at home. In establishing partnerships with hospitals, physicians and others in the community, home care agencies are integral to help ensure success in transitional and chronic care.

If there is one thing Joel Theisen, BSN, RN is passionate about, it’s developing proactive, preventative long-term care for older adults. Theisen is chief executive officer and founder of Lifesprk, an innovative home care company based in Minnesota that is focused on bringing Theisen’s passion to life. According to Theisen, home care and health care in general have traditionally been reactive–meeting a medical crisis and providing sick care. Theisen aims to change this approach by looking at care longitudinally, from a proactive standpoint.

In this Help Choose Home podcast you'll hear from Luke James, chief strategy officer of home health and hospice at Encompass Health, as he discusses the ways in which predictive analytics are both informing home care strategies for clients as well as predicting effective client care in the future.

With more than 20 years of experience in the home care industry, Wanda Coley has combined her deep knowledge of finance, business development, payor contracting and post-acute strategies to become a highly-regarded expert in the field. Join us for this episode of Help Choose Home where Coley explains why she believes that nothing is more beneficial for clients than having the opportunity to age in place or recover from a hospitalization or illness in the comfort of home.

In this episode of Help Choose Home, Taney Hammill, CEO of the Aging Life Care Association and the National Academy of Certified Care Managers, explains what it is that geriatric care managers, or life care professionals, do and offers advice about at what point in the process an aging life care professional should be contacted. 

Every day, companies and organizations generate copious amounts of data. “Big data” though isn’t so much about the amount of data generated, but rather, what a company or organization does with the data. In analyzing data, businesses can use those insights to save money, to target marketing and advertising dollars, or, in the case of home health care, to better understand patient care and patient health outcomes. Join our discussion with Dr. Max Topaz to learn about research he is conducting specifically focused on home health care, with the goal of using data to help clinicians make better decisions about patient care, and to help home care patients achieve better health outcomes.

In the health care industry, communication is vitally important, not only in providing specifics about a patient’s condition, but also in detailing the type of care needed after a stay in the hospital. Dr. Christine D. Jones is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver, where she is the Director of Care Transitions for the Hospital Medicine Group.   Over time, Dr. Jones has seen an evolution in the role hospitalists – internal medicine-trained physicians who care for general medical patients in hospitals – play in the care and communication on behalf of patients. Where it was once common for a patient to be given a discharge summary with instructions to follow up with his/her primary care physician, now hospitalists are routinely working to make the follow-up appointments prior to the patient being discharged.

The Help Choose Home podcast series is an educational resource, offering seniors practical information about safely aging in place. Hosted by Merrily Orsini of corecubed, an elder care marketing solutions company, this episode features Peter Ross discussing the ways in which home care impacts health care and the growing role of home care and adult day care as the population ages.

The Help Choose Home podcast series is an educational resource that explores senior home health care options. This episode features Holly Chaffee, speaking about why offering hospice and palliative services helps patients, families and providers. The series is hosted by Merrily Orsini, President and CEO of corecubed, an award-winning marketing company that specializes in marketing and design for home care agencies.

The Help Choose Home podcast series is an educational resource that explores senior home health care options. This episode features Jennifer Schiller, speaking about the importance of research in the home healthcare industry. The series is hosted by Merrily Orsini, President and CEO of corecubed, an award-winning marketing company that specializes in marketing and design for home care agencies.

This Help Choose Home podcast explores home health care options for families and their loved ones. This episode features Joanne Cunningham, who discusses the advocacy and educational opportunities that are positioning the home healthcare industry for the future. The series is hosted by Merrily Orsini, President and CEO of corecubed, a marketing company that specializes in SEO and websites for homecare agencies.

The Help Choose Home podcast series offers practical information about adult home care services for families and medical professionals. Hosted by Merrily Orsini of corecubed, a home care marketing solutions company, this episode features Tracy Clark discussing the value of home care in reducing hospital readmissions and emergency department visits.

The Help Choose Home podcast series provides information on the value of professional home care. Season 2 kicks off and features host, Merrily Orsini, discussing the importance of educating referral sources about the benefits of home care. Orsini, president/CEO of corecubed, leads a team of industry experts providing elder care marketing solutions to home care agencies.

As we enter the holiday season, families will have the opportunity to spend concentrated time visiting aging loved ones. While of course providing the backdrop for quality time together, the holidays also are the prime time to assess how seniors are doing and whether there might be care needs that should be uncovered and addressed. In this Help Choose Home podcast, Merrily Orsini, home care marketing expert for corecubed, outlines five key factors to consider while enjoying the holidays with older adults.

The Help Choose Home podcast offers families information on professional home care services. This episode features Brent Korte, speaking about how hospice can positively impact families facing a life-limiting illness. The series is hosted by Merrily Orsini, president and CEO of corecubed, an award-winning homecare marketing solutions company.

The Help Choose Home podcast series educates families about adult home care services and options to age safely in place. Hosted by Merrily Orsini of corecubed, an industry leader offering marketing strategies for elder care agencies, this episode features Katie Wehri discussing what to consider when a loved one needs hospice care.