Professional nursing services (RN/LPN under direction of the RN) are provided in accordance with the service plan and are case managed by licensed Registered Nurses who may also be the visiting nurse assigned. Additionally, case managers may assign LPN’s who service cases under the supervision of the RN and assist in the implementation of the service plan. Nursing services will be provided in accordance with the scope of nursing practice laws/acts and associated rules.

Nursing services may include:

• Regular assessment of nursing needs
• Establishing and implementation of the client service plan
• Providing nursing services as needed, in accordance with the service plan
• Reporting of the client’s problems and progress to supervisory personnel and/or the client’s MD.

Home health aides work under the supervision of a registered nurse or therapist. Services primarily consist of assistance with personal care. A home health aide may give a bath, give oral care, foot care, shampoo, shave, skin care, and change linens. Under Medicare, a home health aide may stay in the home part-time or intermittently to provide personal care only.

Wound care refers to specific types of treatment for pressure sores, skin ulcers and other wounds that break the skin. Wound care education will be provided to each patient/caregiver. All education on wound care will include, but not be limited to:

• Goals for wound care
• Self-wound care 
• Dressings to be utilized in wound care
• Symptoms to report to your nurse or physician 
• Risk factors for pressure ulcers and types of wounds 
• Proper skin care and how to prevent injury
• Nutrition and wounds 
• Medications for wound healing 
• Fluid intake 
• Medication safety 
• Pain management

The social services staff provides social casework services to patients as needed to augment other services of the agency. Services include the evaluation of social functioning, particularly as it relates to medical problems, and initiation and follow-up of referrals to other community resources as applicable.

Personal care service tasks provided by a qualified Personal Care Assistant (PCA)/certified nurse aide (CNA), under the direction of a nursing supervisor (RN or LPN under the direction of an RN) and in accordance with the client’s service plan and include assistance with bathing, toileting, grooming, shaving, dental care, dressing, and eating and may include but are not limited to proper nutrition, home management, housekeeping tasks, ambulation and transfer, and medically related activities, including the taking of vital signs only in conjunction with the above tasks.

Licensed nurses are also authorized to perform personal care tasks per GA rules.

Companion/sitter services will be provided by trained individuals under the supervision of a qualified supervisor.

Infusion therapy is a growing need in the home care setting, and clinicians need to be not only competent with the hands-on skills involved but also able to provide education and troubleshooting to support patients in the home. Improvements in technology, earlier discharge of sicker people, and the expanding range of skills that can be performed in the home have led to the expansion of infusion therapy in this setting. Preparing clinicians to practice infusion therapy based on standards of practice will provide quality outcomes. Infusion therapy involves the administration of medication through a needle or catheter.  It is prescribed when a patient’s condition is so severe that it cannot be treated effectively by oral medications. Typically, “infusion therapy” means that a drug is administered intravenously, but the term also may refer to situations where drugs are provided through other non-oral routes, such as intramuscular injections and epidural routes (into the membranes surrounding the spinal cord). Infusion therapy is also provided to patients for treating a wide assortment of often chronic and sometimes rare diseases for which “specialty” infusion medications are effective. The policy of the agency is to administer only: hydration, pain management, antivirals, antibiotics through IV infusion, Nutritional therapies (TPN), may be administered. No Chemotherapy, experimental drugs, blood or blood products will be infused. No IV push medications. Drugs must be FDA approved. Only medications and solutions that are prepared by a pharmacy and are labeled with the patient’s name, name of drug, dosage, volume to be infused rate, date of preparation, expiration date, initials of preparer, and special instructions if necessary, will be administered.

Objectives of Infusion Therapy

1. Maintenance: provide daily fluids and electrolytes.
2. Replacement: replace fluids and electrolytes lost under condition of stress.
3. Administration of medication.
4. Maintenance of central lines.
5. Medication to permeate the whole body or particular area of the body at a desired absorption rate

Homemaker services include assistance with instrumental activities of daily living and may include housekeeping tasks, grocery shopping and other errands, and meal preparation.

Companion services include transportation, meal preparation, shopping, light housekeeping, companionship and household management.