National Home Care Month

To the Editor:

When you are sick, where would you rather be treated? Bets are, you, along with 4.5 million other Americans, prefer the comfort and security of your own bed in your own home. That is why the Danbury Visiting Nurse Association, a home care and community health agency since 1911, is celebrating National Home Care month.

Why do we celebrate? More than just providing excellent care where and when patients need and want it, home care is the most cost-effective form of care in this country. When your mother, father, sister, brother, and neighbor are struggling with a disability, dealing with a chronic or terminal illness, or recovering from a recent hospital stay, home care professionals have the answer. Modern home care provides up to date state-of-the-art services that include everything from skilled nursing care, to home health aides, rehabilitation therapies, social work, nutrition, and respiratory therapy. All of which are provided in the comfort of the patient’s home.

As the 21st Century continues to unfold, a fundamental domestic issue becomes obvious. How will we provide high quality long-term care to our parents and eventually for ourselves? The answer is home care, which combines care, compassion, and cost effectiveness.

As we prepare for the holiday season and recall our many gifts, please remember the home care professionals who make a difference every day for our nation’s seniors, disabled, and infirmed. They make it possible for home care to be where the healing begins.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Faraguna, MPH, RN

Executive Director

4 Liberty Street, Danbury                                      November 7, 2005