 |
| VA Home Based Primary Care |
Good news folks!
First, I think I have Bill's swallowing problem solved. I feed him a homemade egg nog solution. He likes it and doesn't choke. And it's easy to make! So easy, why I didn't try this before? No more grinding up Bill's oatmeal to a powder, cooking it then pureeing it to a liquid to serve it to him and he chokes on it. He loves my homemade egg nog and DOESN'T choke on it.
 |
| Bill's eggnog recipe, of course I leave out the booze |
This supplemented with Ensure and an occasional banana smoothie should provide Bill with enough nutrition for his daily dietary needs. And, just as I was writing this blog I received a call from a dietician at the VA to schedule a visit with Bill to check his dietary needs.
Now the next good news, this past Wednesday "Nicki" from the VA Home Healthcare program visited us for the first time to setup Bill for the VA's home health care program.
 |
| Bill with "Nicki", his VA home health care nurse |
Folks, I cannot tell you how relieved I am to have this help. Nicki is a registered nurse. She checked Bill's vitals and found them all good. She was very pleased that Bill is still able to walk around and can walk up and dow the stairs to his basement bedroom and bathroom. She said his heart rate was good as well as his lungs. And most important of all, she cared. She told me her father is a Vietnam veteran who now has Parkinson's Disease. I am familiar with that disease, my late good friend Bob McCamley had that disease. I saw firsthand how devastating that is.
Nicki spent about two hours with us explaining the VA's home healthcare program and asking many questions about Bill's health. She said within the next two months Bill and I would be receiving a number of visits from representatives of the VA home health care program. Physical therapists, dietitians, and nurses. She gave me a number to call should I have any questions or emergencies. She told me that someone would answer that number (no menus to scroll through) on the first few rings. This was good to know. This gives me the level of comfort I had with the home hospice program Bill was on before, the knowledge that I could call someone immediately should I have an emergency. But Bill is off the home hospice program now (he was on twice) because he didn't die. This VA program is much better for us, it is geared to making Bill's last days as comfortable as possible here at his home where he is most comfortable. And it makes life easier for me too. I could not bear to think of Bill spending the rest of his life in some warehouse facility, no matter how nice their dining rooms are. That may work for some people but not for me and Bill.
Folks, the challenges of our life here have taken a good turn. And for that I am so thankful to everyone who has made this possible. And I cannot thank the VA enough for all that they have done for Bill. They have been fantastic!
9 comments:
Happy Friday Afternoon Ron,
I am so glad that your peeps have an update on Bill's VA intake.
I am a bit emotional today. For reasons I will not get into BUT you would think it's that time of month.
Just seeing Nicki interact with Bill fills my heart.
Healthcare today is all about seeing as many patients as one can to increase the bottom line. I listened to a 25-minute segment on CPR (NPR) today titled "The Dollar General Will See You Now." I have included the link below. The program outlined how healthcare has changed over the years. The speaker was saying things started going south around the mid-80s. Also, the point was made that there is this talk of a primary care physician shortage out there BUT it could really be a distribution problem. This means a lot of primary care physicians are opting to live/practice in the larger cities because of various factors. The program went on to outline how the big box stores and pharmacy chains are getting into medicine with their mini-clinics. They also touched on the long wait times to see a primary care physician. Folks were talking about 6 months. I know back in the day many hospitals that took particular insurance would have to abide by certain guidelines for new patient visits, return patient visits, and specialty care visits. The hospital could lose its contract with the insurer if these benchmarks were not met.
I digress. Glad to read that Bill had a full in-depth workup. I read the recipe and the sugar content is up there PLUS Ensure. I will leave that to the dietician. The US needs to get back to home-based medicine. I saw this 60-minute type piece a few years back of this surgeon who drives around in one of those mini-cars to visit his surgical patients at home. We need to get back to that. Glad that you have medical resources to help share the load of taking care of Bill. It just makes one breath a little easier. I am glad to see that my VA dollars were put to good use.
https://www.vox.com/today-explained-podcast -- The Dollar General Will See You Now -- 25 minutes
Have a great evening and weekend. We have 70% of snow in Denver on Saturday and Sunday. Let the fun begin.
Best of health,
Victor
XO
That's really welcome news! Sounds like the VA really came through. I'm happy the g-tube isn't on the agenda and Bill can manage what you're giving him now. The dietician can also bring a lot of information to the table. Best Wishes!
Paranormal John
The VA's Home Based Primary Care program is just what so many patients with complex, chronic, and progressively disabling diseases need. The program was designed and created to provide comprehensive and long term home care. It is becoming more and more apparent that clinic based health care just isn't effective. The team work plan that this program is based on has taken into consideration the fact that primary care physicians are part of the aging Americans problem and not just centered on the baby boomers. Studies show that the decline in the birth rate in this country is going to seriously effect all services and many people are going to run the risk of being left behind as the years go by.
The Veterans Administration appears to have done an indepth study of how to effectively provide healthcare to it's Vet's. Alot of work went into figuring out how many patients can be effectively and compasionately taken care of by a team composed of a physician, nurses, therapists, dieticians, and counsellors all working together within the constrants of a budget. There are alot of things that have been taken into consideration when approaching this HBPC concept of healthcare. Many of the patients are going to be enrolled in the program for years, not just for a few months at a time.
This past Thursday morning I experienced a personal medical crisis that almost claimed my life. Twenty one days earlier I had a routine skin biopsy on an ear performed that I had waited two years! to take place. I did not heal and I was unable to get an appointment to see the dermatologist to see what was happening ( 3 month waiting list) or my primary care physician (6 month waiting list). The urgent care facility available to me has been swamped with Covid cases and considered me to be at risk of contracting Covid if I came to their facility. My Medicare plan I have provides for Telehealth which is the option I took. I am directed to keep the wound clean and dry and take the antibiotic perscribed. Antibiotic was in short supply and I had to wait while it was located. Well, fortunately ot maybe not, a friend saw me through a window unreponsive on the floor. I had been having fever and difficulty breathing and pain ranging in the level 10 area for days. I awoke in a moving paramedic wagon while someone was trying to intubate me and a person shouting "Woody, Woody, look at me. LOOK AT ME! Then he shouted LIVE, LIVE, LIVE and then I felt something happen, pressure, and pain beyond belief. Then I struggled to draw in air. I had just had an intracardiac injection. I LIVED! I am back at home with 24/7 nurses and just starting to heal. Everyone involved in this dash for life and the shot through the heart scenario said it was all preventable and never should have happened. BUT, that is the sorry state of healthcare today. No one CARES! My insurance calls me while I am in the ER to tell me that I need to listen to a podcast about when to use Uregent Care and not to use the ER.Seems I needed permission to use the ER. OH, and they may not pay for the overnight admission to the hospital. It is all so bizarre and this is not the first time this has happened to me. What a sorry state in general this country's medical system is in. It all comes down to the bottom line. God forbid that it goes from a black line to a red line! A disaster in the making. A board member might just have to have a staycation instead of island hopping for the holidays because the cash cow's tits are drying up!
I am all for a Home Based Primary Care program like the one Bill Kelly is a part of. Sadly the general population will never see one like it in their lifetime. But we all know it doesn't have to be so.
Ron, I love that side bar picture of you in Bill in your plaid shirts. Ron, and the peeps and lurkers of blogland, do not forget to Be Safe, Be Very, Very Careful, and no matter what Be Happy. Woody in Ohio.
Oh my goodness Woody! I am so sorry to hear that you almost lost your life because you're on your own. There are so many older people, men and women who are on their own, that when a medical crises hits, there is no one to save them. Thank goodness your friend saw you on the floor through the window. Divine providence intervention. It wasn't your time. What exactly caused you to pass out? A reaction to the antibiotic?
You are so right about our current state of medical care in tis country. It is so hit or miss. Sometimes it is like a mine field, trying to get paper medial care without incurring a massive bill that will bankrupt you.
Thank goodness you were able to survive this latest medical crises that you just had.
Ron
Paranormal John,
We're very lucky here with the VA John. That have taken such good care of Bill over the years. I have no complaints with them. Zero.
Ron
Victor,
Again, you have provided me with very helpful information. As to the sugar content in Bill's egg nog. As long as I've known Bill he's eaten a lot of sugar and never had any harmful effects. A five pound bag of sugar would last me a year or more. Bill goes through one every three weeks or so. I guess every body's body reacts in different ways.
Vic, thank you very much for the birthday card! I received it earlier this week. My birthday is November 9th by the way.
Thanks again. That was a nice surprise.
Ron
Ron---We pay attention to this blog---There are lots of great life nuggets that we can glean from---Birthday date noted---Have a great Sunday afternoon and week---VRC
WOODY---- @Wood in Ohio ---
I trust that you are on the road to full recovery. Baby steps they say.
I read so many things in your post that alarms me about the state of the US healthcare system today:
*2-year wait for a routine skin bx
*3-month wait for a f/u appt.
*6-month wait for a PCP visit
*Telehealth option. Many insurers are moving towards this because it saves time and resources.
*Decompensating health condition that required an ambulance ride with life-saving measures in route to the hospital
*Insurance provider calls you WHILE YOU ARE IN the ER and chastises you for your STAT emergency treatment choices AND that they might not pay. One word that describes what is lacking here is EMPATHY.
I say to America is this what we want our health care system to be like? Unfortunately, the average person has no say in the matter. Healthcare has become a business. I could go into a diatribe of who owns what. But just let's say you and I are on the losing end of the stick.
I hope you have listened to the podcast provided by the link above Dollar General Will See You Now-25 minutes.
Take Care Woody!!
Victor
The happiness in your entry is palpable. Good news this !
Post a Comment