MedStar Health Home Care

Homecare clinical experts create personalized treatment plans to help each patient meet their goals for healing, recovery, safety, and independence at home. Over the course of homecare treatment, patients and their loved ones learn how to prevent and control negative symptoms, regain strength and ability, and safely care for themselves.

The homecare team includes nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, medical social workers, and home health aides who are dedicated to meeting patient needs 24/7/365. Learn more about the Home Care executive leadership team here.

22,000+ per year

2,400 average daily patient census

2,000,000

Activities of daily living (ADLs) include the tasks we do each day to take care of ourselves, like personal hygiene or preparing meals. MedStar Health Home Care offers certified home health aides (HHA) who assist patients with daily living activities while they are under the care of the home healthcare team.

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MedStar Health Home Care helps patients manage chronic conditions safely at home. The skilled homecare team teaches patients and their loved ones how to effectively manage and prevent negative symptoms from getting worse. Clinical experts specialize in helping patients who suffer from chronic conditions like diabetes, COPD, heart failure, hypertension, and non-healing wounds. They also educate patients on how to take medications appropriately, how to monitor symptoms, and know when to call the homecare team or doctor.

Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of deaths due to injury. They are also the most common cause of non-fatal injuries and trauma-related hospital admissions. During the first visit to a patient’s home, a homecare team member will conduct a home safety assessment. This assessment includes an evaluation of safety hazards and the patient’s risk of falling. The homecare team will make recommendations to patients and their loved ones about changes that should be made in the home to prevent falls and improve safety.

Patients who need intravenous (IV) drug and nutritional therapy (tube feeding) can live safely at home with support from MedStar Health Home Care nurses. Homecare nurses are highly skilled and experienced in the administration of home infusion, including the insertion and management of IV lines, as well as lab support services. Nurses teach patients and their caregivers how to manage their IV medications, prevent infection, operate infusion pumps, and identify when it’s necessary to call the nurse or doctor for support.

In home healthcare, medical social workers assess the patients’ psychological state and their ability to function in their current social environment. The medical social worker helps connect patients and families to necessary resources and supports in the community, which expands and strengthens the patients’ network of social supports. Medical social workers also work closely with other homecare team members to ensure each individual’s plan for home care will help lead them to greater health and independence.

Keeping track of medications and taking them according to doctor’s orders can be a challenge for many patients and their loved ones. These challenges often cause patients to end up back in the hospital. Homecare team members work closely with patients to review medications during home visits. They teach patients about side effects, help them identify their pill bottles, educate on the purpose of each medicine, and help them keep pills and doses organized.

Occupational therapy helps individuals who have physical, developmental, social, or emotional limitations that prevent them from performing the general activities of daily living. MedStar Health Home Care occupational therapists teach patients how to use special techniques and equipment to improve function in basic household tasks, such as eating, bathing, and dressing. The goal of this therapy is to provide patients with the skills to become as independent as possible.

Many homecare patients require pain management for a chronic condition, recent injury, or surgery. Homecare team members work closely with the patient’s physician or medical provider to identify pain management strategies like therapy, home health aide support, medication management, and alternative treatment plans. Pain management is an integral part of the plan of care to improve patients’ overall health and quality of life.

Palliative care can provide relief for patients who suffer from serious, long-term, critical illnesses to improve their quality of life. The home healthcare team helps patients manage difficult and ongoing symptoms through support and treatment that focuses on the relief of symptoms, pain, and stress.

In-home physical therapy helps patients increase their strength, improve their ability to move around, increase their range of motion, and regain independence to live safely at home. Physical therapists work with patients to build individualized exercise plans to improve balance, prevent falls in the home, and increase their endurance to move around with greater ease. If a patient needs adaptive or assistive equipment in the home, the physical therapist will help the patient obtain the equipment and teach the patient how to safely use it. They can also assess pain and help patients to better manage it.

MedStar Health Home Care provides patients access to certified speech-language pathologists (also known as speech therapists) who are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that inhibit a patient’s ability to talk, communicate, and swallow safely. These experts help patients develop unique approaches to restore their speaking and communication abilities and overcome challenges caused by accidents, injuries, stroke, or other conditions. They also help patients find ways to compensate for impaired understanding and expression of language.

MedStar Health Home Care recognizes that many of patients need specialized nursing care, including treatment for wounds. To meet patients’ needs, there is a specialized team of nurses who have advanced training in wound, ostomy, and continence care.

Wound care: A wound care nurse works with a patient's homecare team to monitor a variety of wounds and the healing process. The type of bandaging and treatment method may change if the wound care nurse does not see progress.

Ostomy care: An ostomy refers to the surgically created opening in the body for the elimination of urine or stool. A stoma is the actual end of the ureter or small or large bowel that can be seen protruding through the abdominal wall. Ostomy care includes teaching a patient or caregiver how to empty the pouch, clean the area, care for the skin around the stoma, and replace the pouch.

Continence care is about helping people empty their bladder and bowels. This may include proper maintenance of a urinary catheter and, if necessary, coaching a patient to take control of bowel or bladder incontinence by preventing accidents before they occur.

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