From The Heart of a Home Health Nurse: A Gift More Precious Than Gold
Story by Patricia C., Home Health Nurse | Shield HealthCare “What Makes Caregiving Rewarding?” Contest
As a fourth generation home health professional, you could say caregiving is in my blood. When I was a young girl making home visits with my grandma made such an impression that I couldn’t wait to get my nursing degree. After Grandma was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, my mother’s care for her at home was as beautiful as it was poignant. Mom cared for the outside of grandma’s body as if it were the finest of china, while cancer ravaged the inside.
It is these personal experiences that I take with me every time I walk through a new door to a patient’s home. As each knob turns, I enter their home and become an integral part of their family unit. It is in this regard that home care is drastically different than any other medical specialty. So much of what we do relies on the success of interpersonal relationships established with the patient and the other caregivers. Continuity of care between such entities as the physician, the nurse, the DME provider and the pharmacist is a vital key to making the patient comfortable and safe within the home setting. Ultimately, their happiness with the quality of the home care these entities provide is truly rewarding.
Bearing witness to the power of the human spirit is the priceless gift we caregivers receive. It is a gift more precious than gold. We walk away from each encounter a changed person, a refreshed individual and acutely aware of the blessing it is to be a caregiver. My patients face adversity with strength beyond words, immeasurable courage and boldly face their health concerns and mortality with grace and peace.
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