| VNA Community Health
Care, our local Branford VNA, is celebrating its 100th anniversary
this year.
A vitally important service most of us have depended on
at one time or another, the nonprofit Visiting Nurse Associations
nationwide care for 4 million patients each year and employ
75,000 health care professionals.
Our local VNA originated in 1910, when Dr. Charles W. Gaylord
and some of Branford’s wealthier residents hired Maude
Britt to serve as the town nurse. The Guilford VNA came
into existence in 1920 when nurse Salina Callahan was hired.
At that time, the nurses main role was to assist with home
births and to teach families about good sanitation. Subsequently,
they also handled TB outbreaks and childhood diseases such
as measles and mumps. Today, of course, they are responsible
for such diverse needs as flu vaccinations, fall prevention
and helping patients manage conditions such as heart disease,
diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
All VNAs have similar goals and services, but are separate
organizations. Recently, VNA Community Healthcare acquired
Hamden and Madison and will serve Greater New Haven and
the Shoreline. An important advantage to this consolidation
is an area-wide caregiver support network and the sharing
of up-to-date technology such as home monitoring and medical
alert systems.
The latter features a special medical dispenser that chimes
when it is time for a pill. If the pill is not taken, it
sends an alert to a call center. Classes on how to avoid
falls, good nutrition and other wellness strategies are
an important part of the VNA prevention program, and they
are held in several convenient locations.
According to Barbara Katz, VNA’s director of Clinical
Program Development, “The VNA nurse is the first line
of defense against going to a nursing home and their help
can be enlisted when”:
-There is a new diagnosis or treatment or a medical condition
that is getting worse.
-The person is on Medicare.
-An individual is homebound.
VNA Community Healthcare has a private-duty, affiliate
known as Life Time Solutions, with offices in Guilford,
Old Saybrook and North Haven. Strong House is the VNA’s
weekday respite care facility in Madison, providing transportation,
nursing, programs and meals. Call 203-245-0524.
The VNA has a help line and problem-solving resource that
may be reached at 866-474-5230. They also offer a caregiver
support network and various helpful publications, including
caregiver tip cards and personal health notebooks.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary, the VNA is interested
in collecting old stories from past workers or families
who received care. To share your story, call Michele Ferguson
at 203-458-4277.
Jean Cherni is founder of Senior
Living Solutions, a retirement advisory service. Contact
her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds, Branford
06405.
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is a full-service real estate company with more than 100
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Corporate and & Commercial offices are located in North
Haven, where the company was founded in 1958. All listings
can be found in color on the web at: www.hpearce.com. |
