Home Health Nurses Plow Through Blizzard To Access Home-Bound Patients.
By Robin Hocevar
Home health nurses are told during orientation that taking a snow day might mean putting a human life at risk. During the past months' massive snowfalls, many home health professionals in the mid-Atlantic displayed fierce determination to reach the bedside.
LPN Godsend
When Margie Weis, LPN, Bayada Nurses in Downingtown, PA, went to bed one night in January, there was a manageable 4-5" of snow. Seeing no end in sight, she set an early alarm, only to arise to another 9".
At 4:30 a.m., Weis and her husband began clearing their 250-foot driveway so she could make her 7:00 a.m. appointment. After plowing the driveway and another 500-foot private road before she could access the street, Weis began the treacherous, normally 30-minute commute. Bypass 30 only had one lane plowed, but Weis was careful and used her four-wheel drive.
Her client was a baby on a ventilator requiring 24-hour coverage. Besides Bayada, another agency covers some of the shifts.
When she arrived, the mother was sitting by the sleeping baby's crib with her older toddler. Upon seeing Weis, she burst into tears. Her father had suffered a stroke the night before and she doubted she'd be able to make it to the hospital.
"These parents were so thankful and relief was palpable in their faces," Weis recalled.
The nurse who was supposed to relieve Weis was snowed into her own driveway, so she stayed into the next shift to help the father.
"In home care, you just have to make the effort," Weis said.
"Clients are very sick and their problems are complicated. Parents are quickly depleted when they have to do several shifts. That's when you run into problems."
Due Diligence
Sharon Milligan, BSN, RN, director of client care at Home Helpers, felt her blood pressure rising while watching the blizzard reports. Like Weis, she knew she'd make every effort imaginable to continue care for her elderly clients.
"Our clients are generally 80- to 100-year-old patients who have lost most of their function," she said. "Many don't have family around and need help with showering, laundry and meals."
Milligan established a triage system and prioritized patients who were unable to get out of bed on their own. She personally picked up some nurses and brought them to patients, if their cars were wedged in the driveway. In the past, she's helped nurses with gas money or connected them with AAA resources.
Filling in the gaps for other caregivers who may not be able to make it in, Milligan said Home Helpers nurses were feeding pets and calling electric companies to restore power.
"Our clients often have no help except for us," she said. "I'm just glad they were clean, fed, safe and comfortable for another day."
Robin Hocevar is senior regional editor at ADVANCE.