June is Home Safety Month

PENINSULA HOME CARE PARTNERS WITH WICOMICO COUNTY EMS TO RESPOND TO HOME SAFETY NEEDS

When you or a loved one are released from the hospital after an illness, accident or surgery, the last place you want to end up is back in the hospital. You want to go home. Peninsula Home Care wants to make sure you get home - and get to stay there.

In partnership with Wicomico County EMS, Peninsula Home Care is kicking off a Home Health Safety Campaign - Safe Home-Safe Haven, designed to educate and provide resources to "at-risk" patients in the community (stroke, congestive heart failure, falls and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)). The two organizations are working together to promote medical safety prevention and education in the home.

"We are the eyes and ears in the homes of hundreds of "at-risk" patients every day," said Therese Ganster, Peninsula Home Care branch director. "We are working with our local EMS to develop ways to better prepare responders and patients in the case of an emergency."

"One goal is to provide patients with stickers they can place on the front window of their home that will alert first responders that there is at least one person inside the home categorized as "at-risk" with a medical condition," said Andrew Naumann, chairman, Wicomico County EMS Committee. "This will raise a red flag and better prepare the crew to respond to the needs of the patient."

The partners are also focusing efforts on patient education in the home and a follow up program to check in on patients after they have been released from the hospital. Peninsula Home Care also provides every patient with medication and medical history cards in addition to a hand out on heart failure that assists them in making good decisions about when it is time to call 911.

For more information call Peninsula Home Care at 410-543-7550.