Health Care Faces a New Century

It is a well-known fact that Iowa is home to a growing population of individuals over the age of 65. In recent years, this number has climbed significantly due to the "baby boomer" generation reaching retirement age, as well as prior Iowa residents returning home to their "roots". As a result, the health care industry in the state faces special challenges.

As mentioned above, health care providers in Iowa now have a larger population of elderly who are in need of services. As a result, over the past several years there has been a sharp rise in the number of people seeking health care services in their home. Unlike their ancestors, a vast number of today's elderly population have invested their money and are now using their financial security to pay for private duty home care when the need for assistance arises. This has caused a highly competitive market for home health care professionals of all levels. Many agencies have had to turn clients away because they could not handle the level of care often required by those seeking assistance.

In addition to having more people to care for with a limited pool of qualified personnel, home health care agencies are also faced with caring for individuals with more technical medical needs. In years past, if a person were incapacitated and needed to be on a ventilator or have IV's on a regular basis, they were pretty much restricted to living in a nursing home or other skilled facility. However, with the advances made in equipment, technology, and even in training, it is now possible for these people to receive the same type of care in their home. This has resulted in a greater demand for professional nurses with specialized training.

Finally, recent Medicare changes have forced some agencies to close while others have had to drastically change the make up of the client base. This has left an even greater elderly population attempting to find new home care service providers at a rate they can afford.

While these challenges are not insurmountable, it has placed a strain on some home health care agencies across the state. Nurse Force is proud to have been a leader in home health care services in Iowa since 1987 and is ready to meet all the challenges of the new century.

If you, or a loved one, are in need of assistance or if you would like to join our team of professionals, call us at 515-224-4566.

Our Nurses are the Best!

Nurse Force prides itself in providing the best care possible to those who deserve it the most, our clients. However, we would be lax if we were to take all the credit and not recognize those individuals behind the scenes who help make this happen. Therefore, we would like to salute our nurses who give tirelessly of themselves to make the lives of our clients the best they can possibly be.

Nurses are a rare breed. Not only do they have to enjoy working with people, but they need to have the ability to look through the pain, depression, or ailments, which may impair their client and see the unique worth of each individual. They aren't nurses for 8 - 12 hours a day, but instead, they show their care and compassion 24 hours a day. Many of our nurses go home at night and worry about their clients who may have had a particularly difficult day, and then try to devise a plan of action to improve the client's day when the nurse returns the following day.

Our nurses work in close relation to not only the client, but often times with their family as well. Nurses who spend a great deal of time in any home almost always become an extended member of the family. While they develop a close relationship with the client and/or their family, they endeavor to maintain their professionalism as an employee of Nurse Force. They have to keep in mind that they are not there for their own personal interest, but for the benefit of the client. They realize they are an extension of the Nurse Force office while they are in the client's home. They are in essence our "eyes and ears" while working with the client.

Our success with clients often hinges on the staff we place in their homes to assist them. We rely and depend upon their professional observation while they are in a home. We ask a lot of our nurses. In difficult cases, we may ask them to set aside their emotions and follow the directives, that have been established by the physician and the Nurse Force Case Manager. We may ask them to perform duties, which fall outside the realm of "regular nursing duties". Or, we may ask them to help us in devising a more efficient and effective plan of care for our clients. Regardless of the task we may ask them to perform, they remember that it is all for the benefit of the client and fulfill their tasks.

Homefront is published bi-monthly and is filled with timely health, nutrition, safety, and financial information. If you would like to receive Homefront free of charge, we'd be happy to add your name to our mailing list. Contact our office at 515-224-4566 and any one of our office staff would be happy to assist you!