Home Care and Hospice Month recognizes vital service

JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER

BURNET — For Destiny Moore and Alicia Keith, some of the most important people in their lives aren’t related by blood or marriage — they are home healthcare specialists.

November is Home Care and Hospice Month in Texas, and the two women said their lives are made easier by home healthcare, which offers peace of mind, helping hands, and meaningful friendships.

Keith suffered a stroke two decades ago and has had to re-learn so many things. Aside from checking vitals, workers also cook meals, help clean, and perform other daily tasks that Keith doesn’t always have the energy to do.

“It means a lot, a whole lot,” she said. “They keep a record of everything. They know if things are going cockeyed.”

Home healthcare services include self-directed care, pediatric home health, personal emergency response services, and a special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children that focuses on women who are pregnant, new mothers, and young children.

The services can be a cost-effective alternative to facility-based care. While many things can be measured by costs and even evaluated such as quality of care, home healthcare offers patients and their families something immeasurable: independence.

For 10 years, Keith didn’t have home healthcare, but now that she does, the healthcare workers come around to see her progress and assist as needed. And other than going to church, Keith said most of her contact with the outside world is through her attendants.

“They come daily,” she said.

In addition, when there isn’t a health worker available, supervisors such as Debra Brown of Outreach Health Services will personally go to Keith’s home to cook and perform those daily tasks.

“I couldn’t tell you what they mean to me,” Keith said. “They are so much a part of my life. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

Moore is the primary caregiver for her older sister, Antoinette Massy, who suffers from cerebral palsy that has caused other ailments such as a collapsed lung and a stroke.

“I did everything I could possibly do to help my mom with my sister all my life,” she said. “I promised my mother I would never let (Antoinette) go into a home.”

That was 15 years ago, a promise she intends to keep, and it is made easier through home healthcare services such as Outreach Health Services. While Moore cooks, feeds, and bathes her sister, thanks to spending years watching her mother do it, the workers help with making sure medications are working properly and that Massy isn’t in any discomfort.

“They’re amazing people,” Moore said, adding it took a long time to get into the program. “It’s not a job for me. It’s life.”

The biggest benefit, however, isn’t always the services they provide.

“Debbie comes and checks on us a lot,” Moore said. “She makes me feel better.”

For the two, having Outreach Health Services allows them to remain in their homes.

“I get to take care of my sister at home, which is a blessing,” Moore said. “They help us out, they make sure everything is OK, and I have everything in line. She gets great care provided to her, and we’re very grateful.”

jfierro@thepicayune.com