Show #367 Airing Sunday, 12/17/06
Whether around the corner or around the world, travel can be difficult if you are the primary caregiver of a homebound or frail loved one. If you’ve ever felt frustrated trying to figure out how to accomplish your mission, help is available! Here to explain how to turn “mission impossible” into mission possible is Jennifer Lue, business development manager of the Visiting Nurse Association of Cleveland’s CarePlus Program.
Question: I understand that there is a program that can help a caregiver bring a frail loved one along for the trip. Can you explain?
Answer: Unfortunately, families can't do it alone. The Visiting Nurse Association CarePlus program offers respite care, travel assistance and companionship to families when they need to get away or bring them along.
Travel assistance includes transportation, accompanying the family and individual on vacation, or to weddings, family reunions or any other events. We help with bathing, grooming, transportation, dressing, keeping your loved one company, and many other services. Whether it is for one day, a weekend, or an extended period of time, we can help you and your loved one.
Question: What if the person is so ill they must be left behind? What options are available then?
Answer: Respite care can be provided to your loved one if they must remain at home while you travel. If there are no other family members or friends who can lend a hand, respite can help take care of them in your absence.
Respite care includes daily living assistance, such as bathing and grooming, to light housekeeping and meal preparation, and even transportation to appointments.
Question: How long can a person stay in respite? Under what circumstances can respite be used?
Answer: A person can remain in respite care for as short as an hour or two (while the family member leaves for an appointment or social activities) or can last as long as months.
For example, we accompanied a client's mother to their vacation home for the entire summer, providing daily grooming, meal preparation, companionship and light housekeeping to keep her comfortable while the clients' traveled back and forth from their home.
If a family member has social activities, takes classes or needs to leave for an appointment, we provide short-term respite care for the patient who remains at home.
The opposite is true as well. VNA CarePlus provides transportation and travel assistance to the patient's weekly activities, such as church, social activities, classes, and beauty and doctors' appointments. This transportation assistance helps the individual maintain an active life as much as they are able.
We tailor our services to meet the needs of the patient and their family.
Question: Are these services private pay? Does Medicare cover any of it?
Answer: The services provided by VNA CarePlus are private pay services.
Question: How much?
Answer: Average, about $17/hour, but will consider if need exists.
Question: How do yo arrange for it?
Answer: Call VNA.
Question: How far in advance do you need to make a request?
Answer: If called for today, could do tomorrow, even same day if needed. But please give us as much notice as possible.
Maybe the entire family can travel together. Or maybe caregivers can get away for awhile, with the help of respite. To explore your options, give the VNA CarePlus program a call at the number that's next. My thanks to Jennifer Lue.
