H E A LT H C A R E
EMPATH HOME HEALTH
Palliative Home Health Care For Homebound
WHEN AN ADVANCED ILLNESS
strikes, people’s quality of life
may suddenly diminish. For
many, the pain and symptoms can severely
limit activities such as walking or leaving
home. Added to that, families unexpectedly
enter into a world of caregiving.
There is hope and support for adults
and children who are homebound with any
long-term advanced illness or condition.
Empath Home Health, a member of our
new Empath Health integrated network
of care, provides skilled care and routine
assistance to palliative care patients and
their family caregivers. Our services are
readily available to help patients manage
and cope with their diseases, live more
comfortably and avoid unnecessary
trips to the hospital. Physicians’ orders
are required for admission.
Empath Home Health has been licensed
for more than 30 years and has recently
earned The Joint Commission accreditation,
recognized nationwide for quality in
care. Unlike other home health programs
that treat patients recovering from a broken
leg or other restorative care, our unique
expertise is in palliative treatment, interdisciplinary
team care, pain and symptom
management and complex care. Because
illnesses are not purely physical, our
identified a different medication that
worked more effectively to get his pain
under control. In a collaborative effort, she
worked with Empath’s clinical pharmacist
and the patient’s three physicians to coordinate
his care. The social worker brought
peace of mind to him and his family by
talking with him and finalizing his health
care wishes. His wife also benefited from
respite support from a volunteer, who
came over twice a week so she could leave
the house to take care of her own needs,
including shopping, getting her hair done
and visiting a friend.
As any issues arise, our teams are ready
to respond 24/7. We understand how
challenging an illness can be for everyone
in the home. We can meet their needs and
help them live more through Empath
Home Health.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael J. Sciullo is president
and CEO of Empath Health, an integrated
network of care. For more information
about Empath Home Health eligibility or to
make a referral, call 727-523-2360 or visit
empathhealth.org.
By Rafael J. Sciullo
Rafael J. Sciullo
teams are dedicated to comforting the
body, mind and spirit of patients, as well
as coaching and encouraging families. As
a former caregiver myself, I know how
crucial that care and support can be.
Patients may receive nursing care, personal
care, pain and symptom management,
medication management, wound care,
infusions, therapies (physical, occupational
and speech), spiritual care, social work
support to access community resources
and volunteer assistance and companionship.
Caregiver training on safety,
personal care and more is available for
caregivers.
Improving quality of life for our patients
and their families is our mission. We recently
cared for a man who had rheumatoid
arthritis and pulmonary fibrosis. With his
children living out of state, his wife was
solely responsible for caring for him.
Our physical therapist assisted him with
strength building and mobility.
Other members of the patient’s team
also played vital roles in his care. The nurse
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 121