The Saint Barnabas Health Care
System Home Health Care Agencies have taken a new approach to caring
for individuals in their home. Through a collaboration with DOROT’s Caregivers’ Connections, a
program that offers support groups and informational workshops to family
caregivers via telephone to help them better cope with the challenges
of caregiving, the Home Care Agencies have had the opportunity to educate
and offer support to those who may not have the physical capabilities
of traveling outside their home to a lecture or seminar.
DOROT is a not-for-profit multi-service agency dedicated to enhancing
the lives of older adults and their caregivers. Through DOROT’s Caregivers’ Connections, adults
can transform their phone into a threshold to friendship, information,
entertainment, support, intellectual stimulation, and above all, a community.
Over the past several years, JerseryCare Home Health, an affiliate
of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System Home Health
Care Agencies, has offered a variety of DOROT classes
including “All
in the Family – When
Difficult Relatives Impact Your Caregiving”, “Final Wishes – The
Importance of Planning”, and “Healthy Living Bingo”. Pictured
here, Doreen Macchia-Germain, RN, MAS, Director
of Performance Improvement, JerseyCare Home Health,
leads a workshop from her office in West Orange
that focuses on how home care can help caregivers
and patients.
“Making a connection with the community and offering valuable
information, that is accessible to all, is part of our mission,” explains
Patricia A. Toglia, RN, MS, Vice President of the Saint Barnabas Health
Care System Home Health Care Agencies. “Our partnership
with DOROT has allowed us to expand our educational efforts beyond the
walls of a conference room to reach people where they are most comfortable – in
their home.”
The Saint Barnabas Health Care System Home Health Care Agencies offer
a wide variety of health care services led by a team of highly skilled
home health care professionals including Registered Nurses; physical,
occupational, and Speech therapists; Medical Social Workers; Registered
Dieticians; Care Managers; and Certified Home Health Aides. Our
approach is interdisciplinary and our team of professionals works closely
with physicians to coordinate care in the home or place of residence
with the focus on achieving quality of life, maximizing independence
and reducing hospital readmissions. Referrals can be made for
nursing and/or therapy. Referrals may be made for physical therapy,
occupational therapy, nutritional evaluation and diet education, social
work consultation and Home Health Aid assistance when appropriate.
For more information, please call 973-243-9666 (northern NJ), 732-818-6800
(southern NJ).
Date: December 2009
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