Central Georgia Home Health Services

A service of The Medical Center of Central Georgia

Home Health is an integral part of the healthcare delivery system and serves to meet patient needs through the provision of healthcare in the privacy of the patient’s place of residence.  Through the expert care of the Home Healthcare professionals, patients and their families are able to become independent with their care thus completing the continuum for the inpatient setting to the home.

Home Health services require orders from a physician for the initiation and provision of care.

Available Home Health services include:

Skilled Nursing:  A registered nurse initiates home health care and care may include wound care, infusion of IV medications, follow up to various surgical procedures, education and training in various disease processes including diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic lung disease, stokes, and observation and assessment.  In addition, Central Georgia Home Health offers the HomeMed home monitor.  The HomeMed monitor is a FDA approved medical device that daily records patient weight, blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen levels.  The results are tracked over time and allow for more accurate management of the patients condition and changes in patient condition.  The HomeMed monitor is especially effective in the management of congestive heart failure and post surgical cardiac bypass graft surgery. 

Physical Therapy:  Services include evaluation and treatment of a patients rehabilitation needs and the development of an individualized plan of care.  Diagnosis/disorders with physical therapy include weakness, decreased functional status, CVA, arthritis, degenerative joint disease, total knee replacement, burns, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, myocardial infarctions, and diabetes.

Treatments include:

• Therapeutic exercise
• Transfer training, gait training and range of motion
• Pain relief/pain management
• Modalities: ultrasound, electrical stimulation
• Prosthetic training
• Neuro rehabilitation

Speech Therapy:  Services include assessment and evaluation of patient’s rehabilitation needs and potential.  Diagnosis/disorders that may cause speech and/or swallowing deficits include CVA, ALS, head injuries, voice disorders, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, neuromuscular disease, Parkinson’s disease, tracheostomy, laryngectomy, head and neck cancers.

VitalStim: Therapy is also offered as a service of Central Georgia Home Health.  VitalStim therapy is neuromuscular electrical stimulation used to rehabilitate and restore weakened or inactive pharyngeal muscles.  This therapy can be effective on patients with severe dysphagia, patients on PEG tube feedings and for individuals on a modified oral diet.  VitalStim therapy must be prescribed by a physician and can only be administered by a certified health care professional.  Central Georgia Home Health has on staff 3 Speech Language Pathologists certified in the administration of VitalStim therapy.

 Occupational Therapy:  Services include evaluation and treatment for diagnoses affecting upper extremity sensory and motor function.  Also included are diagnoses that affect cognitive, perceptual, psychosocial, developmental and decreased activities of daily living (ADL’s).

Treatments include:

• Splinting
• Neuromuscular facilitation/inhibition
• Joint range of motion and muscle strengthening
• Adapted ADL’s, and energy conservation with ADL’s
• Coma stimulation
• Edema and pain control

 Medical Social Services:  The Medical Social Worker evaluates and assesses factors impacting upon the patients’ ability to meet medical goals.

Services may include:

• Community resource planning
• Counseling for long term planning
• Short term therapy for family and/or patient during adjustment period

Certified Nursing Assistants:  Serves to assist the patient with personal care/hygiene and with ADL’s during the rehabilitation process.  The services of the nurse’s aide must be provided in conjunction with other Home Health services.

 Service Area:  Central Georgia Home Health provides services in 14 central Georgia counties.  The counties of service include Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Crawford, Houston , Jones, Lamar, Laurens, Monroe , Peach, Taylor , Twiggs, and Wilkinson.