Home health

If you or your loved one or has a chronic condition or has recently experienced an injury or illness, Sky Lakes Home Health services may be able to help. Our services can help shorten hospital stays or even help people avoid hospitalization altogether.

Benefits of home health care

There are a number of benefits to receiving home health care services, including:

• Reduced stress. Being close to family, friends and pets is often less stressful than being in an institutional setting.
• Proactive treatment. In-home care can stop problems before they progress to needing emergency care. If the home care staff notice a change in the patient’s condition, we call the person’s healthcare provider right away. Given the vital signs, and our in-person assessment, the provider can make recommendations to change the patient’s medication or care regimen. Our nurses then facilitate any care updates (including all labs) right there in the comfort of the person’s home.
• Medication management. In-home health caregivers can alert the patient’s doctor if they feel a medication change is needed. The home care nurse has the patient’s information with them on a computer and can relay the information to the doctor. At the direction of the doctor, the home health nurse can help the patient adjust dosages.
• Coordinated care. Our admission nurses work with patients to schedule convenient in-home healthcare visits, such as provider’s appointments and bathing, as well as coordinate with licensed practical nurses, home care aid and therapy. Home health visits are based on each patient’s needs. Typically, a person will receive two or three visits a week, with each visit lasting about an hour.
• 24-hour assistance. Our team is always just a phone call away, no matter what time of day or night it is.

Our home health team

The Sky Lakes Home Health team consists of highly trained and compassionate nurses, therapists and aides, all of whom are CPR-certified.

Nurses offer services like wound care; catheter care; and education on disease management and prevention, medication, diet, and self-monitoring techniques.

Physical, occupational and speech therapists provide services like home exercise programs, home safety evaluations, and help with activities of daily living.

Home care aides help with bathing and other personal care.

Medical social workers identify community resources and offer help with economic issues and mental health concerns.

All our staff have previous acute care experience and must successfully complete an extensive orientation and evaluation process before they start making home visits.

Who can receive home health care services?

Our services are available to clients who live in Oregon within 33 miles of Klamath Falls and are deemed “homebound.” The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services defines homebound as being “difficult and taxing to leave the home.”

Many people think they need to be diagnosed with a chronic disease to qualify for home healthcare, but that’s not the case. For example, home health services may be appropriate for someone who is experiencing a slow recovery from a joint replacement.

How do I apply for home health care?

All you need to do is call Sky Lakes Home Health at (541) 274-6293 for a free consultation. Be prepared to have your provider validate the need for in-home care. Once we have word from the doctor, our goal is to be in the home within 48 hours.

The admission process is relatively easy and takes about three hours. About half of that time is spent on safety evaluations, and reviewing and signing consent forms. The remainder is a head-to-toe assessment and medication review.

Paying for home health services

Home health care services are free as long as the patient is considered homebound. Medicare covers the costs for in-home care at 100%.

We work with all of the major insurance companies as well. Depending on the type of insurance, there might be a co-pay. For non-Medicare patients, two months of home health services typically cost between $200 and $300