Home care encompasses a wide range of health and social services delivered at home to recovering, disabled, chronically or terminally ill people who need medical, nursing, or therapeutic treatment and/or assistance.

Both professional and private duty home care services are available through Concordia Visiting Nurses.

Because the number of days patients stay in the hospital is decreasing, there are more people who qualify and need home care services.

But this care is not limited to those being discharged from the hospital. It also is for people with an existing illness or with a new disease not requiring hospitalization but rather close monitoring.

Concordia Visiting Nurses provides a wide variety of health care and supportive services. The team of professionals includes:

Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who provide many services such as injections and intravenous therapy, wound and ostomy care, and education on disease treatment.

Physical therapists who work to restore the mobility and strength of patients through the exercise and massage.

Speech language pathologists who work to restore individuals with communication disorders that are usually the result of traumas such as surgery or stroke. They also help retrain patients in breathing and swallowing.

Occupational therapists who help those who have physical, developmental, social, or emotional problems.

Dietitians counsel those who need dietary assessment and guidance.

Medical social workers assist patients and families with the coordination of medical services and community resources.

Home health aides assist patients getting in and out of bed, walking, bathing, toileting, and dressing.

Private duty services supplement those services a person may require after hospitalization or when their illness becomes less manageable.

Homemaker and chore workers do light household duties such as laundry, meal preparation, general housekeeping, and shopping.

The companion service provides comfort to individuals who can not be left at home alone.

TeleCaregivers is a free service that has volunteers make a daily phone call Monday through Friday to check on client's safety and well being.

Tele-Health monitors is remote in-home monitoring through phone lines of an individual's vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse, and weight. It also can record symptoms indicating emergencies, as well as medication compliance. That information is screened daily by a clinician.

Health Watch is a personal response system that provides a 24-hour connection to a response center that allows a person to summon help in an emergency.