Providing compassionate in-home and out-patient care in Plymouth, NH

How to Plan For Recovery at Home After Surgery

In this blog, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health brings to light the services you can receive after surgery and how to be prepared before your surgery. There are a lot of things to think about when preparing for major surgery. What are the risks? Will you be in pain? Have you thought about what help you’ll need to recover? Will you be able to stay at home while you heal? Although every surgical recovery is different, the goals of home-based clinical care after surgery include patient and family involvement, shared decision-making, and flexibility around changes in plans to meet your needs.

Having home care services from Pemi-Baker can help you recover more quickly, keep you safe at home, and just as importantly, help you avoid another hospital stay.

Planning ahead for care

Although it’s not always possible to schedule your surgery in advance, you should understand beforehand how long your recovery may take, what you will and will not be able to do, and what help you will need while you are home.

Speaking to your doctor or your hospital discharge planner about home health care services prior to surgery will help you prepare for when you go home again. If your surgery is the result of an emergency situation, a family member or other caregiver could arrange for services on your behalf.

Additionally, since outpatient (day) surgery has become a much more common option, many people find themselves recovering from surgery at home the same day as their procedure. Some are unprepared to effectively manage their pain and discomfort, making it difficult for them to perform even routine tasks or basic personal care. They may be weak and tired. Managing multiple medications can be confusing and properly caring for the incision site can be challenging. The trusted, compassionate staff at Pemi-Baker will help.

How home health care helps your recovery

Home health care is personalized to fit your needs, based on your physician’s instructions and your own personal preferences. Depending on the complexity of the surgery, you may receive a single type of care or a combination of services. Nurses can provide services including wound care and medication management, while home health aides can provide assistance with personal care including bathing, dressing, and light housekeeping. Physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and social workers also play an important role in the recovery process. With orders from your doctor and input from you about your needs, the Pemi-Baker team will design a plan of care to reach your goals and help you recover.

What you can do ahead of the surgery

You can make your recovery at home go a lot smoother if you take a little time to plan ahead. Ask your doctor what you won’t be able to do at first while you’re healing up, and get help from friends and family to prepare your living space. You need to be careful about falling after an operation. “People get dizzy because they haven’t eaten for a few days and from being in bed,” says Jenn Stewart, RN, Clinical Supervisor. “You may need to get a walker or crutches to cut down your risk of a fall. Other tips to avoid stumbling would be using night lights in hallways, sleeping in a bedroom near a bathroom, wearing flat shoes or slippers and reducing the clutter in your home” said Stewart.

  • Do I need to make changes to my house? This depends on what kind of operation you have. If it’s a complicated one, like a joint replacement or stomach surgery, you may need to tweak a few things in the bathroom or bedroom for easier access.
  • Stairs: If you can’t climb up and down them after your surgery, you might have to make some changes. For instance, if your bedroom is upstairs, you may need to sleep on a lower floor for a while. Ask your friends or family to move your bed before you go into the hospital, or check into renting a hospital bed if you need it.
  • Equipment: After some types of surgery, you’ll need to get special gear at home. Plan ahead if your doctor tells you that you need oxygen tanks, elevated toilets, shower seats, supplies to care for your cut, or other items. Get in touch with your insurance company to see if they’re part of your coverage.
  • Stock your pantry: Ask your doctor if you have to stick to a certain diet. Make sure you’re well supplied with the right food before you get back home. Since you may feel tired during your recovery, prepare some meals before your operation and put them in the freezer.

There are many things you and your family can do to prepare for your surgery and give you the best possible recovery. Make arrangements in advance if your surgeon suggests getting a nurse, physical therapist, or health aide. Make sure you schedule the first visit before you leave the hospital. Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health can see you in less than 24 hours of arriving home.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is a trusted, nonprofit agency proudly serving 29 towns in central and northern NH since 1967. Expert services include at-home healthcare and physical therapies (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and community programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver and Bereavement Support Groups and Ask A Pemi-Baker Nurse days at your local senior centers. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals and also your neighbors.  In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

Pemi-Baker is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org  Like our Facebook Page: @pemibakerhospicehomehealth

~Written by Anna Swanson

November is Home Care & Hospice Month

More and more, people prefer to be cared for in the comfort and dignity of their own homes. Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health provides in-home medical services that are cost-effective and person-centered. November is a chance to recognize the dedication and innovation of providers of health care at home. It is an opportunity to acknowledge recipients of in-home care services, and celebrate that they are able to remain in the safety and comfort of their own homes while receiving quality care.

Home health, hospice & palliative care providers have always been important to vulnerable citizens in our communities. But now that importance is underscored by the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in public/facility settings. When given the option, patients want to receive care in their homes. We believe that desire is stronger today than it has ever been. Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is proud to support 29 communities in central and northern NH.

Home Health

Home Health provides skilled services, including nursing care, physical, occupational and speech therapy. Pemi-Baker will send a licensed professional to assess home health needs and develop a complete care plan. These services are usually short-term, as in the case of a person recovering from surgery or other health issues.

What are the costs and what is covered?
Medicare will cover home health if it is ordered by a physician and the person is homebound and in need of skilled services. Services are usually covered for a 30-day “episode of care.” However, if an individual is enrolled in a Medicare HMO, known as a Medicare Advantage Plan, services are authorized on a per-visit basis. Long-term care insurance and Medigap plans may also cover some costs of a home health aide.

Hospice Care

Hospice care brings together medical care, pain management and emotional and spiritual support for patients at the end of life and their families. The mission of hospice staff and volunteers is to address the symptoms of a terminal illness with the intent of promoting comfort and dignity. They are experts at pain management.

Hospice will manage your loved one’s pain, help you understand what he or she is going through and help you and other family members cope with your emotions. Many of us are at a loss as to what we should do before and at the time of death. Hospice professionals help you get through a very difficult time and are there even after your loved one’s death.

What are the costs and what is covered?

Medicare and Medicaid provide a hospice benefit that covers almost all of the costs of caring for a dying person during his or her last six months of life. To qualify for the Medicare hospice benefit, a person must have:

  • Medicare Part A
  • A life expectancy of less than six months
  • An agreement in writing that he or she will not pursue any treatments to cure his or her illness

The Medicare hospice benefit covers skilled nursing services, physician visits, skilled therapy (i.e. physical, speech or occupational), medical social services, nutrition counseling and bereavement counseling, most of the cost of prescription drugs for symptom control and pain relief. Short-term inpatient respite care to relieve family members from care-giving is also covered.

“I am proud to celebrate our staff who work tirelessly to provide exceptional care to our most vulnerable community members and to provide the opportunity for people to remain in their homes as long as they can,” said Pemi-Baker’s Executive Director, Danielle Paquette-Horne, RN. “I encourage everyone to learn more about their options of care and share their wishes with their family, loved ones, and health care professionals.”

For more information about how you can benefit from home health or hospice care in the home, please contact Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home health at 603-536-2232 or www.pbhha.org.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is a trusted, nonprofit agency proudly serving 29 towns in central and northern NH since 1967. Expert services include at-home healthcare and physical therapies (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and community programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver and Bereavement Support Groups and Ask A Pemi-Baker Nurse days at your local senior centers. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals and also your neighbors.  In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

~written by Anna Swanson

In-Home Physical Therapy Helping Breast Cancer Rehabilitation

October is National Physical Therapy month as well as Breast Cancer Awareness month and the physical therapists at Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health can assist patients with breast cancer to live a more functional life. Often there is a missing link once a person is diagnosed with breast cancer. A patient can go through the whole diagnosis, yet have many questions about how to return to their prior level of function or how to progress themselves into strength training or exercises after treatment. Pemi-Baker therapists will come to your home, answer your questions and help you on that path of recovery.

While medical treatment for breast cancer is saving more lives, the disease may leave patients with significant side effects from chemotherapy and/or radiation causing treatment induced fatigue.

If a person undergoes surgery, there can be significant scar tissue, which causes limitations of everyday movement.  After having a lumpectomy, mastectomy and/or breast reconstruction people may experience scar tissue restrictions, swelling, shoulder, neck or back pain. If a person is feeling tightness, pain, loss of range of motion or strength, or feels like their posture is being impaired, these can be signs identifying the need for physical therapy.

Together, through physical therapy, we will help you:

  • Restore your mobility and posture
  • Decrease or eliminate your pain
  • Rebuild your strength and endurance
  • Return you to work and play
  • Boost your energy
  • Prevent or combat the effects of lymphedema

“Our team of physical therapy specialists are your partners in this journey back to health and enjoying the activities you love. We will visit you as soon as you return home, answering any questions or concerns you might have as well as help you prepare a plan, for moving and feeling better, while regaining strength and energy,” said Danielle Paquette-Horne, RN, Executive Director.

Research shows that physical exercise and activity are key factors in breast cancer survivors regaining vitality and returning to optimal health. Let us help you with these side effects so you can regain your health in motion! Call today to learn more about our experienced, home care providers: 603-536-2232.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is a trusted, nonprofit agency proudly serving 29 towns in central and northern NH since 1967. Expert services include at-home healthcare and physical therapies (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and community programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver and Bereavement Support Groups and Ask A Pemi-Baker Nurse days at your local senior centers. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals and also your neighbors.  In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

Preventing Falls in the Home

Falls have been a leading cause of injury for older Americans for decades, and the data on this problem is startling. As a Physical Therapist with Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health for nearly 12 years now, I can attest to the number of home health patients we treat annually due to a fall.  Research compiled by the CDC finds:

  • In 2018, approximately 36 million falls occurred among people aged 65 and over in the US, and of that number, there were roughly 8 million injuries.(1)
  • One out of every 5 falls among older adults causes a serious injury, such as a broken bone or a head injury.
  • In fact, falls are the most common cause for traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
  • If you are curious about the cost of all this falling to the healthcare system, annually it totals close to 50 billion dollars for non-fatal falls, and another 750 million dollars for fatal falls.
  • NH actually has a higher than average rate of deaths due to falling, with a rate of 109 deaths per 100,000 falls annually. The national average is 66-68 deaths per 100,000 falls.

The WHO has reported that people over the age of 75 tend to fall more frequently in their homes, while those younger than age 75 seem to fall outside more often.  Prior surveys found that around 30% of falls in the home happened in the living room, while another 30% were occurring in the bedroom. 19% of falls from this data set took place in the bathroom.

As for the reasons why people fall, there are numerous contributing causes.  Many times, a person who falls will have several issues that weigh in against them. The evidence shows the likelihood of falls can be influenced by many factors including:

  • A prior fall. This is often the single strongest predictor of further falls.
  • Weakness of the leg or hip muscles. This can contribute to poor balance and slower reaction times, making it harder to stop a fall if a person stumbles or bumps into something
  • Poor vision, which also influences balance
  • Use of medications such as sedatives, some pain killers, or anti- depressants. Some of these may cause drowsiness or slower reactions.
  • Joint pain, especially in the feet, ankles, knees or hips.
  • Trip/slip hazards in the home such as clutter, objects lying in hallways, poor lighting, high thresholds, liquid spilled onto floors.

Fortunately, there are some effective options available to help reduce the chances of falling. The CDC has published a manual titled “A CDC Compendium of Effective Fall Interventions”.  The first item they go over is exercise. Studies have repeatedly shown that specially designed exercises aimed at weak muscles and poor balance can be effective for many people in reducing falls.

The second item in the CDC Compendium effective for reducing falls was modification to the living environment. This might consist of things like making sure there is adequate lighting, getting rid of broken down old footwear, installing color contrasting tape on stairs, or getting a shower chair and hand-held shower attachment in place.

For over 55 years, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health has been providing services exactly as I have described above, to people in Grafton County, right in their homes.  Our agency has highly trained, caring Occupational and Physical Therapists who can bring their expertise to your home and give you the right guidance on what you should do to reduce your chances of a fall.  We can create custom home exercise programs and recommend practical, effective ways to modify your living environment for better safety.  While our outpatient OT and PT service has now transitioned to operating thru the Mid-State Health Center, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health continues to provide top quality in-home OT, PT, and Nursing care.  For more details, call or check our website www.pbhha.org.

References:

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/falls/index.html

With over 55 years of experience, serving clients from 29 towns in central and northern New Hampshire, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is committed to creating healthier communities. Services include at-home healthcare (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and Community Programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver Support Groups and Grief and Bereavement Support Groups. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals in the business because of their hearts. In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

Pemi-Baker is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org  Like our Facebook Page: @pemibakerhospicehomehealth

~written by Ernest Roy PT DPT, Quality Director PBH&HH

Home Care: More Than Just a Visiting Nurse

When patients leave the hospital and return home, they go from highly supportive medical environments with physicians, nurses, aides, and other professionals, to non-medical environments with informal caregiver support. Patients and caregivers must struggle to absorb confusing medical information before leaving the hospital and often providers have incomplete understandings of home environments and caregiver capabilities. Patients are largely left to themselves, expected to manage their medical conditions on their own. It is a daunting task.

This is where Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health (PBH&HH), can assist; supplementing visits from home care nurses, physical therapists and licensed nursing assistants.

What is the Meaning of Home Health Care?

  • Home health care is a wide range of health care services that can be given in your home for an illness or injury.
  • Home health care is usually less expensive, more convenient, and just as effective as care you get in a hospital or skilled nursing facility.

Patient safety at home is as important as patient safety in hospitals. Unsafe conditions in the home can lead to unnecessary or avoidable, expensive, re-hospitalizations. Your PBH&HH team will be a bridge of communication and care between you and your physician. Receiving home care decreases costs, improves health outcomes, and reduces hospital stays. PBH&HH helps support your family by teaching you to properly care for wounds, follow medication regimens correctly, manage durable medical equipment and keep your house free of hazards.

What Can I Expect From A Home Health Care Visit?

  • Checking your blood pressure, temperature, heart rate and breathing.
  • Making sure you understand the purpose of your medicines.
  • Teaching you or your caregiver to care for a wound or IV.
  • Creating an exercise plan to build your strength and improve balance/walking.
  • Helping you assess your pain and monitor your food intake.

PBH&HH’s primary goal is to discharge you to self or family care and avoid subsequent hospitalizations. We want you to feel confident and comfortable not only in your home but with the goal of returning back to your normal daily routines in your community. PBH&HH provides services to residents who reside in Grafton and Belknap counties, but we also accept referrals in other counties upon request. Call or contact us today to learn more.

With over 50 years of experience, serving clients from 29 towns in central and northern New Hampshire, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is committed to creating healthier communities. Services include at-home healthcare (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and Community Programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver Support Groups and Grief and Bereavement Support Groups. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals in the business because of their hearts. In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

Pemi-Baker is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org   visit online: www.pbhha.org

~written by Anna Swanson

Why We Love National Home Health & Hospice Month

National Home Care and Hospice Month in November is when we honor all professionals who work in the broad field of home care and hospice work – this includes physicians, nurses, LNAs, social workers, physical therapists, and so many more. Each requires a different skill-set and comes with its own emotional and physical demands. The professionals who perform these services are committed to helping patients live, as well as pass away with dignity. This month is for them.

  1. Home Health Care Can Reduce Falls and Hospital Re-admissions

If you have had surgery or been hospitalized for a medical illness, you might have safety concerns at home, particularly the risk of falls. The truth is that falls with resulting injuries are quite common in hospitals, despite efforts to reduce them. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that an elderly or ill person is less likely to suffer a serious event at home compared to an acute care setting. Home care can also reduce the rate of hospital re-admission.

  1. Home Health Care Provides a Medical Level of Care at Home

After hospitalization, most people prefer to heal at home. Similarly, the elderly prefer to stay home rather than go to a skilled nursing facility.

Home health care can provide a variety of benefits to support activities of daily living as well as 24/7 nursing care, disease management, ostomy and catheter management, surgical after care/wound care, medication management and care for high risk pregnancies, infants and children.

 

If the only thing keeping a patient in the hospital is the need for intravenous medications, there is good news: there is now a way to manage infusion therapy at home.

  1. Home Health Care Can Provide Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy

If you’ve had surgery and you’ll be needing physical or occupational therapy, you don’t have to go to a rehabilitation facility. Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health offer at-home therapy services. Another benefit that at-home therapy provides, is the opportunity to assess the safety and accessibility of the home environment. A therapist’s trained eyes can spot fall hazards or bathroom dangers and provide helpful preventive advice.

  1. Hospice Provides Dignity for Many

Home care and hospice workers believe that those at the end of their lives deserve the right to pass peacefully and on their own terms. The elderly often far prefer to stay in the comfort of their homes, where they feel freer and are at less risk of contracting other illnesses. The existence of hospice makes this level of freedom available to many who otherwise would not have had it. Hospice care offers 24/7 clinical support, medication and pain management, assistance with daily living activities, medical supplies and equipment, volunteer support and companionship, social, spiritual and grief support from social workers and chaplains, for the whole family.

  1. Hospice Month Gives us a Chance to Improve Caregivers’ Lives

These family members and/or professionals dedicate physical, emotional, and mental energy to each one of the individuals in their care, and often deal with the emotional fallout when the terminally ill take a turn for the worst or pass away. Pemi-Baker offers advice and support in the home to the families they are caring for and also offers a Caregiver Support group every first Wednesday of the month at 10:00am in person or via ZOOM.

  1. Hospice Proves the Healing Power of the Home and Loved Ones

The elderly who wish to retain the freedom of staying in their home and ending their lives on their own terms experience true psychological benefits. Their comfortable surroundings allow them to end their lives with a sense of dignity, which is incredibly valuable. In fact, home care harkens back to older days, when tending to the terminally ill at home was the standard. There’s always the added benefit of being closer to their loved ones in their final days.

If you think you or your loved one would benefit from home health care, palliative care or hospice care we urge you to visit our website to learn more or call to speak directly to a professional who will guide you.

With over 50 years of experience, serving clients from 28 towns in central and northern New Hampshire, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is committed to creating healthier communities. Services include at-home healthcare (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and Community Programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver Support Groups and Grief and Bereavement Support Groups. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals in the business because of their hearts. In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

Pemi-Baker is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org  Like our Facebook Page: @PBCH4

~written by Anna Swanson

PBCH is First Home Health Agency in Central NH Offering Homebound Vaccination Clinics

Emily Reid, Pemi-Baker Community Health RN administering a Covid-19 vaccination to a homebound patient and caregiver in Plymouth, NH

Pemi-Baker Community Health is partnering with the Central NH Regional Public Health Network (RPHN) to bring COVID-19 vaccine to homebound patients within their 22 town service area. This unique collaboration is just one example of many partnerships the Central NH RPHN has throughout the region addressing complex public health issues.

The Central NH RPHN is one of 13 regional public health networks funded by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to convene, coordinate, and facilitate an ongoing network of partners to address the delivery of public health services. Services can include: public health emergency preparedness, substance use disorder, and other disease prevention and health promotion activities to improve population health and community resilience.

Angel Ekstrom, the Central NH Public Health Network Coordinator, has been instrumental in coordinating partners to vaccinate homebound residents throughout the region reaching the most vulnerable. “Partnering with home health care agencies to vaccinate residents who are homebound affords homebound vaccine recipients to receive their vaccine from a familiar and trusted healthcare provider who, in many cases, regularly enters the recipient’s home. For those who are not clients of the home healthcare provider it connects homebound recipients to available services they may need” says Ekstrom.

Through Central NH RPHN COVID-19 response efforts, Angel has collaborated with partners across sectors in providing situational awareness, aiding partners in obtaining Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), standing up and demobilizing an Alternative Care Site (ACS), coordinating and operating mobile vaccine clinics addressing inequities, securing vaccine to meet Central NH RPHN needs and recently this partnership with PBCH to administer COVID-19 vaccine to homebound residents.

“We are very excited to offer vaccines to our homebound patients and their caregivers. We have been compiling a list of our own patients who cannot leave their homes to travel to a vaccine clinic and 211 NH has also given us names” said Kara Hamill, PBCH Senior Operations Director. Jenn Stewart, Infection Control Nurse, Penny Conlon, RN,  Emily Reid, RN and Macayla Noble, LPN have undergone specialized training and have been conducting homebound vaccination clinics for three weeks, vaccinating over 80 people thus far.

Jenn Stewart, Infection Control LPN preparing vaccines.

To date, Pemi-Baker Community Health is the only Home Health (VNA) agency offering this homebound service in Central NH. “We are honored to collaborate with Angel and the Central NH RPHN and are very proud of the fact that although we have serviced multiple patients with Covid-19, we haven’t had a single Pemi-Baker clinician contract Covid-19 from a patient over the past year. While out in the community our employees have been very diligent following CDC, NH state guidelines and the guidelines that the PBCH Covid taskforce has laid out” said Jenn Stewart, LPN and Pemi-Baker Community Health’s Infection Control Nurse.

If you or a loved one cannot leave the house (homebound) and would like more information about this service please call Pemi-Baker Community Health at 603-536-2232.

~written by Anna Swanson

Skilled Home Health Care: What Pemi-Baker Community Health Can Do For You

November is National Homecare Month. What better way to celebrate it than to provide information about home care services thru Pemi-Baker Community Health, and what it can offer for a loved one? As we age, we still want our independence. Many older Americans are choosing to stay in their homes longer and “age in place.” This trend allows people to remain in their family home surrounded by familiar furnishings that make them feel comfortable and safe. But as we get older, certain activities that once seemed simple can become more difficult to manage.

So when do we need skilled home health care?

Skilled home health is care given to patients at home by medically trained and licensed professionals. It is an alternative to receiving care in a nursing home or hospital to regain health and independence.

What sort of people are served by home health?

Skilled home health care clients can be recovering patients who are ill with a chronic condition like heart failure or an acute health condition like surgery for a hip replacement, or who have sustained an injury. Home health care permits earlier discharge from a hospital, reduces hospital admissions and assists with rapid recovery. It’s less expensive, more accessible, and as effective as care from a hospital or skilled nursing facility.

Skilled home health care can be for rehabilitation following a stay in the hospital or nursing home.  Patients may also be referred to Pemi-Baker Community Health by their own PCP’s for help managing a health condition. For example, your Mom might need skilled nursing after being hospitalized with a bout of pneumonia or Dad may need occupational and physical therapy when he gets home following knee surgery. The nurse can help your Mom learn to manage her medications safely and help her learn ways to manage her overall health more effectively. Occupational and physical therapy will provide training on the best exercises Dad can do to strengthen his knee so he can get back to doing the things he enjoys.

Long-term home health palliative or hospice services can be provided when your parent or loved one is suffering with a terminal illness. Our nurses and therapists work together with your doctors to provide coordinated, effective care.

How does a patient access skilled home health thru Pemi-Baker Community Health?

A referral from a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant is necessary. If your loved one is being sent home from the hospital or nursing home, their staff physicians will typically write the referral. Your own PCP can also provide a referral.  Just let them know you would like to use Pemi-Baker Community Health, we service 22 towns in Central New Hampshire.

Who pays for skilled home health care?

Payment options for home health typically include a wide variety of insurances including Medicare, many Medicare Replacement plans, along with a whole host of private insurances.

Pemi-Baker Community Health has been in the business of ‘skilled’ home health care for over 50 years. We understand how hard it can be to get ready, travel to a certain facility to receive care and then travel back home again every time you have to go to an appointment. Home health care addresses this dilemma and Pemi-Baker Community Health can help you. There are many benefits of getting care at home and one of them is getting competent, one-on-one skilled care right where you live. Apart from this, you also save your time, energy and extra money because home health care is relatively cheaper than being institutionalized in a care facility.

Our team of responsible and reliable professionals will make sure that you or your loved ones receive the appropriate care at home. We offer skilled nursing, home health aides, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical social services and speech therapy. We are experts in our field and we have the necessary experience to make sure you are cared for correctly. You are in safe and caring hands with Pemi-Baker Community Health.

“The people working at Pemi-Baker are terrific. I would highly recommend them for any home health care needs for yourself, family and friends. They take the time to meet your needs in a kind and sensitive way.” ~Deb

“I have had home-care after a hip replacement as well as physical therapy to recover and PT for other problems. Everyone is friendly, concerned, efficient, professional and cheerful. This organization is superior to others I have had over the years.”  ~Sheila

“Fantastic people!  Real people you can trust and feel comfortable with.  I can’t thank you enough for all the help you have given us while my husband is going thru cancer.  Thank you so much!”  ~Maxy

~Written by Anna Swanson

November is National Home Care & Hospice Month

During the month of November, the home care and hospice community honor the millions of nurses, home care aides, therapists, and social workers who make a remarkable difference for the patients and families they serve. These heroic caregivers play a central role in our health care system and in homes across the nation. To recognize their efforts, we call upon all Americans to commemorate the power of caring, both at the home and in their local communities and ask them to join with Pemi-Baker Community Health in celebrating November as Home Care and Hospice Month.

In addition, Home Care Aide Week takes place the second full week of November. Join us in honoring these compassionate, tireless workers who play an invaluable role for their clients as caregivers, companions, and friends.

“Home care and hospice nurses, therapists, aides, and other providers choose to use their lives to serve our country’s aged, disabled, and dying. This noble work deserves our recognition and praise and we celebrate November as home care and hospice month for that very reason,” said National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) President William A. Dombi.

With 10 thousand Americans turning 65 every day, the need for health care will continue to rise, and costs will continue to skyrocket. This is where home care and hospice come in. As the preferred choice for most patients, it also offers the greatest cost savings. For example, Medicare pays nearly $2,000 per day for a typical hospital stay and $450 per day for a typical nursing home stay. Meanwhile, home care costs less than $100 a day and helps many U.S. seniors remain independent at home, enriching their lives, and staying in touch with those they love.

Fast Facts

  • Home care providers will travel about 8 billion miles to deliver the best health care in the world.
  • Ninety percent of Americans want to age in place, and home care is the preferred method of health care delivery among the disabled, elderly, and chronically ill.
  • Home care provides high-quality, compassionate care to more than 5 million Americans annually.

With over 50 years of experience, serving clients from 22 towns in central and northern New Hampshire, Pemi-Baker Community Health is committed to creating healthier communities. Services include at-home healthcare (VNA), hospice and palliative care, on-site physical, occupational and aquatic therapy as well as free community educational/support groups via zoom.

~by Anna Swanson

The Rewards of Being a Hospice Volunteer

While I was familiar with Hospice for many years, I only have been a hospice volunteer with Pemi Baker Hospice and Home Health (PBHHH) since October 2021.  When I retired, I began searching for volunteer work that would allow me to give back to my community.  A newsletter from PBHHH arrived in my email announcing training for hospice volunteers.  My family had experienced the need for hospice twice, once in Ohio and again in Florida.  The relief my family and I felt when the hospice volunteers arrived was beyond measure.  I want to bring the same kind of assistance to others.  PBHHH given me that opportunity by providing professional training with knowledgeable nurses, doctors, social workers and other health care professionals.  Their guidance has enabled me to meet the challenges of being s hospice volunteer, and I am very glad that I did it.

Connie C.

Pemi-Baker Community Health
2022-06-27T12:20:25-04:00

Connie C.

While I was familiar with Hospice for many years, I only have been a hospice volunteer with Pemi Baker Hospice and Home Health (PBHHH) since October 2021.  When I retired, I began searching for volunteer work that would allow me to give back to my community.  A newsletter from PBHHH arrived in my email announcing training for hospice volunteers.  My family had experienced the need for hospice twice, once in Ohio and again in Florida.  The relief my family and I felt when the hospice volunteers arrived was beyond measure.  I want to bring the same kind of assistance to others.  PBHHH given me that opportunity by providing professional training with knowledgeable nurses, doctors, social workers and other health care professionals.  Their guidance has enabled me to meet the challenges of being s hospice volunteer, and I am very glad that I did it.

You give of yourselves day & night without end!

To the Pemi-Baker Hospice Team--Words really can't express my feelings-

Your help during one of the most difficult times of my life is SO appreciated.  I'm so grateful that because of you, Doug was able to get his wish not to spend the last of his days in a hospital, but at home with those of us who loved him.

And to be constantly reassured that if I needed anything you would be there-oh my gosh-ANYTIME!  Well, you people need to know how much you are appreciated.  You give of yourselves day & night without end!  God Bless you and thank you!

Pam O.

Pemi-Baker Community Health
2020-06-11T07:31:14-04:00

Pam O.

To the Pemi-Baker Hospice Team--Words really can't express my feelings- Your help during one of the most difficult times of my life is SO appreciated.  I'm so grateful that because of you, Doug was able to get his wish not to spend the last of his days in a hospital, but at home with those of us who loved him. And to be constantly reassured that if I needed anything you would be there-oh my gosh-ANYTIME!  Well, you people need to know how much you are appreciated.  You give of yourselves day & night without end!  God Bless you and thank you!

“My home physical therapy was fantastic.”

Pemi-Baker provided very good home therapy. All their therapists were pleasant, helpful in offering suggestions for better functioning after surgery, and practiced good health protocols. They were also very prompt in showing up for scheduled appointments.

Elizabeth B.

Pemi-Baker Community Health
2019-11-07T12:26:12-05:00

Elizabeth B.

Pemi-Baker provided very good home therapy. All their therapists were pleasant, helpful in offering suggestions for better functioning after surgery, and practiced good health protocols. They were also very prompt in showing up for scheduled appointments.

“Your generosity with your time and your loving care is appreciated more than you know.”

Thank you to everyone who played a role in taking care of my mother and giving her the freedom of remaining home while suffering from dementia. Your generosity with your time and your loving care is appreciated more than you know. A special thanks goes to Macayla and Colleen, who visited her on a regular basis, and to Lauren who was helpful in connecting us with state services.

Terry W.

Pemi-Baker Community Health
2020-01-17T12:43:19-05:00

Terry W.

Thank you to everyone who played a role in taking care of my mother and giving her the freedom of remaining home while suffering from dementia. Your generosity with your time and your loving care is appreciated more than you know. A special thanks goes to Macayla and Colleen, who visited her on a regular basis, and to Lauren who was helpful in connecting us with state services.

“Pemi-Baker Hospice services provided kind, professional, competent services every step of the way-and even vaccinated us all for Covid/19!””

Our primary nurse, Fred, was outstanding, and others who filled in (Cathy, Penny, Colleen) were wonderful and a credit to your organization. Fred, you were amazing, not only for mom but for my husband and I as well. I will forever be grateful for your support, wisdom, humor and kindness, all along the end of life journey for mom. I am so deeply thankful that circumstances conspired such that mom was able to die at home, and your role made that time as seamless as it could be made.

Paula W.

Pemi-Baker Community Health
2020-01-17T12:31:13-05:00

Paula W.

Our primary nurse, Fred, was outstanding, and others who filled in (Cathy, Penny, Colleen) were wonderful and a credit to your organization. Fred, you were amazing, not only for mom but for my husband and I as well. I will forever be grateful for your support, wisdom, humor and kindness, all along the end of life journey for mom. I am so deeply thankful that circumstances conspired such that mom was able to die at home, and your role made that time as seamless as it could be made.

“Everyone is so understanding supportive and kind.”

From the director to the nurses to the health care workers.  So cheerful, helpful and accommodating.  This is our second time receiving assistance from Pemi-Baker and we are very lucky to have found this amazing group!  Thank you for your excellent care and compassion.

Leila L.

Pemi-Baker Community Health
2020-01-17T13:19:24-05:00

Leila L.

From the director to the nurses to the health care workers.  So cheerful, helpful and accommodating.  This is our second time receiving assistance from Pemi-Baker and we are very lucky to have found this amazing group!  Thank you for your excellent care and compassion.

Your courage during Covid-19 does not go unnoticed

Hello. We just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much we truly appreciate all that you do for us in these trying times. You're commitment to the health of our community is a special thing, and we know that you are working under stressful conditions due to the Covid 19 crisis. We realize that in order for you to treat those who may be ill, you are putting you're own lives and even you're own families lives in danger, and that is truly a courageous and honorable thing to do. We want you to know that it does not go unnoticed. Thank you all for all that you do!

Bryan and Renee C., and our mom Joan

Pemi-Baker Community Health
2020-06-11T06:27:43-04:00

Bryan and Renee C., and our mom Joan

Hello. We just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much we truly appreciate all that you do for us in these trying times. You're commitment to the health of our community is a special thing, and we know that you are working under stressful conditions due to the Covid 19 crisis. We realize that in order for you to treat those who may be ill, you are putting you're own lives and even you're own families lives in danger, and that is truly a courageous and honorable thing to do. We want you to know that it does not go unnoticed. Thank you all for all that you do!
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