Elder Abuse and Adult Protective Services

There was an awful story in the Salt Lake Tribune last week about financial abuse of elders. According to the article, Utah seniors lose an average of $1 million to thieves. Sadder still, is the conclusion that these thieves are most often family members.

There are resources for seniors who experience abuse, financial and otherwise. Millcreek Home Health and Hospice is bound by law to report abuse to Adult Protective Services, which exists to protect seniors from abuse. Their purpose, as listed on their website is:

To assist vulnerable and elder adults in need of protection to prevent or discontinue abuse, neglect, or exploitation until that condition no longer requires intervention.

Millcreek Home Health and Hospice's team of Nurses, Physical Therapists, Aides and Medical Social Worker are trained to recognize situations that may escalate to be, or already are abusive. We work with families to remedy difficult situations and when needed, provide referrals to Adult Protective Services. If you have questions about a senior who may need help with medical care in their home, contact Millcreek Home Health and Hospice at (801) 463-2478.

A Very Special Thank You Note

Millcreek recently received the following thank you note from a very special patient. Millcreek usually cares for seniors, but we are also able to care for anyone on Medicare, which means that on occasion we get to work with younger patients with disabilities. This letter came from the father of one such patient. Nothing makes us happier than knowing we made someone's life better!

Millcreek Home Health and Hospice,

This note of appreciation is long past due; however, out appreciation for the outstanding services rendered to my daughter Jane* has not been diminished by time. In all honesty you folks were a life saver at what could have been a very troubling time. Each person made an appointment, came to see what could be done to to ease any problems and the just did their job. But that's the point-they did it so well, it was obvious they liked what they were doing, knew what they were doing and if there were difficult situations they would point them out and make recommendations. They took an honest interest. Besides, they could get Jane up in the morning and I couldn't. We loved them and they loved us. We looked forward to their coming and enjoyed their conversations. They are people persons, the kind that make a company successful. 

Specifically we would like to acknowledge: Paige, Rebecca, Adrienne and Sarah for the outstanding services that were given to us.

-The S. Family.

All of Millcreeks clinicians and staff aspire to deliver this same high level of care to all of our patients. If you have questions about how Millcreek Home Health and Hospice can be a benefit to someone in your life, go to http://www.millcreekhomehealth.com/ and submit your question using the "Ask an Expert" feature.

*Names were changed to protect patient privacy.

Love is a Healthy Heart

Heart failure is the leading cause of death among seniors, contributing to more than 300,000 deaths per year. Patients diagnosed with Heart Failure require specialized home care that takes into account the many risk factors that complicate and exacerbate their condition and co-morbidities. 

25% of Heart Failure Patients are re-admitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge.

Thankfully, many of these hospitalizations are preventable with appropriate home health care. 55% of re-hospitalizations occur due to fluid overload. Angina, Heart Attack and Arrhythmia account for an additional 40%—compounding the need for close, on-going care and monitoring in the home after patients are discharged.

In response to a growing need among seniors, Millcreek uses a home care plan that anticipates risk factors and implements proactive care to prevent re-hospitalizations for heart failure patients. 

Millcreek's heart failure program is designed for patient success.

Each patient receives custom-tailored care, but until the patient stabilizes, Millcreek implements the following protocol to ensure patient success from the moment they are discharged from the hospital.

• All hospital discharge paperwork is sent to the patient’s Primary Care Physician and/or Cardiologist upon discharge.
• A Millcreek Case Manager facilitates a visit to a cardiologist or primary care physician within 2 weeks of discharge.
• Nursing orders are front loaded & include PRN visits, so that patients are seen frequently until they stabilize in the home environment.
• Daily vitals & weights are taken and reported if they are outside of Physician ordered parameters. If the patient does not have an accessible scale, Millcreek provides one at no cost.
• Physical & Occupational Therapy evaluations are ordered for home safety, energy conservation and home exercise plans.
• Standing orders for Medical Social Work are written when the patient lives alone or with an elderly caregiver.
• Patients receive a phone call on off visit days to check on them.
• Ongoing patient teaching about symptoms, emergency protocol, diet and exercise.

Our goal:

Reduce re-hospitalizations by providing quality care,

that allows patients recover safely in their homes.

For more information on Millcreek's Heart Failure program, contact us through our website www.millcreekhomehealth.com .

A Look at Salt Lake County Seniors' Future

At first glance, Salt Lake County is young and vibrant. But it is important to remember those children’s grandparents and be aware of their unique and important needs. Here are a few facts about Salt Lake County’s future seniors. By 2033: *

• The 60+ population will surpass the school-age population
• Those 85 or older will multiply twelve-fold to over 103,000 by 2050. 46.3 percent of them will live in Salt Lake County.
• The retirement age dependency ratio (the number of persons 65 or older per 100 working age persons) County is projected to reach 39.9%.

Why is this important? Because if you are reading this you are likely younger and in great health, but in 15 years, your parents, or possibly even you, will need to know about resources available to seniors. You've heard it a million times, but now is the time to plan for your future. Be aware of the issues that seniors face and work to understand the challenges of caring for an elderly parent. Think and prepare for it now.

Home Health and Hospice services offer solutions like direct, in-home care, but they also help coordinate the more complicated parts of growing old or caring for a loved one. Millcreek Home Health and Hospice routinely helps families connect to community resources, find senior living communities that provide higher levels of care, help with long term planning and advanced directives, and generally provide support during what can be a trying and difficult time. If you have any questions about how Home Health or Hospice can be beneficial to your loved one, go to www.millcreekhomehealth.com and try out our “Ask an Expert” feature.

*The stats above are from a study available on the Salt Lake County Aging Services website, which offers some great resources for caring for seniors.

Employee Profile: Nan Green, Executive Director

Nan Green, Physical Therapist

Nan Green founded Millcreek Home Health and Hospice six years ago, after working as a physical therapist in home health for over 25 years. Her dedication to the health and wellbeing of seniors in our community are evident in her active role as Millcreek’s Executive Director.  Nan oversees operations, quality assurance, and compliance to standards of care in all disciplines. She participates in care management through hands-on involvement from admission to discharge, including post-service patient contact. Her commitment to excellence is apparent in the extensive quality assurance processes with a strong focus on agency-wide education at Millcreek Home Health and Hospice. Nan’s many years of clinical experience ranging from orthopedic out-patient to in-home rehabilitation of neurological, orthopedic and cognitively impaired patients, mean that Millcreek’s patients receive the highest quality care available in Salt Lake County.