Does HH keep patients indefinitely?

[Jo Dirt]

My FIL is in assisted living and since having had to get a foley HH has been coming. Grandpa is getting to the point where he doesn't really "qualify" for assisted living anymore and a US nursing home isn't really an option. So...grandpa is coming to live with us for awhile.

I don't consider myself inhospitable but I don't really want anyone barging in unannounced. If he keeps HH will it be unreasonable to ask them to call before they come?

Also, I worked HH eight months but it was mostly recerts for private duty nursing, but the way I understood, if there was a teachable adult in the home, HH was there long enough to teach them to manage whatever then they were out. Will they come indefinitely as long as he has the catheter?

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

For patients that have a foley we keep them on service and see them once a month unless a problem comes up for which they need to seen earlier.

We always call to make an appointment. You have every right to expect that. I'd call the HH office and ask them to make sure to have the nurse call and make that appointment before coming out.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

We have few monthly cath patients open for years without rehospitalization too. We always call to schedule week cath change.

Only time I show up unanounced is when no one's answered my 3-4 phone calls thoughout the day and visit post hospitalization/previously scheduled.

It may be beneficial for you to call agency to say what days of week best visited week before especially if known appoitments or caregiver unavable let us in. Gives agency flexability when 14 next day wound care patients discharged previous day and must be seen, prn visits need to be moved.

[caliotter3]

The agencies I've worked for have always had the nurse or nurse supervisor call before making a home visit. That's the way it's done. Each one of them have, however, had problems with clients not returning phone calls or "forgetting" appointments and being out of the home. One client would get in his van and leave for the day with his nurse driving whenever the nurse supervisor was scheduled to visit.

[Jo Dirt]

The agencies I've worked for have always had the nurse or nurse supervisor call before making a home visit. That's the way it's done. Each one of them have, however, had problems with clients not returning phone calls or "forgetting" appointments and being out of the home. One client would get in his van and leave for the day with his nurse driving whenever the nurse supervisor was scheduled to visit.

I guess they forgot they were supposed to be "homebound," hehe.

[dria]

having a teachable adult only comes into play when medicare/medicaid is the payeor. (if im remembering your age correctly...i'm guessing it's close one way or the other) and what i'm hearing here is that this remains a skilled service even then. (m'care/m'caid not my forte!)

at any rate, no reason that those visits can't be scheduled in advance...i always did so. nothing worse than showing up and no one home.

[bhatt]

Under medicare and medicaid, the foley change every month can go on indefinately. It just has to be medically necessary, patient under doctors care, and patient be homebound (meaning it is physically taxing for the patient to leave the home) usually needs assist of some type. I make it a practise to call and schedule an appointment in advance, just showing up is not very professional. Take care.