Committed to Quality, Compassionate Care

Mary Washington Healthcare Home Health Services

Home health services assist elders, family caregivers and medical providers to better manage chronic diseases at home. Our care teams are specifically trained to provide comprehensive in-home care and education for diseases and conditions such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, joint replacements, cancer, cardiovascular surgeries, pneumonia, COPD management, and more. Patients with chronic diseases or conditions are monitored and visited regularly by our home health teams.

Home Health Medical Care Team

In-Home Care at Mary Washington Healthcare

Mary Washington Hospital Home Health has been providing quality home health services to this region for over 30 years. Our priority is to care for patients who are not able to travel back and forth to medical facilities. As a part of Mary Washington Healthcare, we are held to the highest standards of quality care as certified by the Joint Commission and Magnet. Mary Washington Home Health has been named to Home Health Elite seven years.

Mary Washington Home Health offers the following in-home care, all managed by your physician:

• Skilled nurses who work with your doctor to provide comprehensive care
• Rehabilitation services provided by physical, speech, and occupational therapists
• Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA's) providing a wide range of patient needs
• Social workers who can assist with evaluations and identifying community resources

We provide comprehensive nursing care for a range of conditions that include heart failure, diabetes, pneumonia, COPD management, medication management, joint replacements, cardiovascular surgeries and more. Our rehabilitation services include physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. Our in-home patients work with a registered dietitian, receive caregiver support, and have access to 24 hour support over the phone. Additionally, we coordinate our care with other community resources.

We serve patients in Fredericksburg, Colonial Beach/Oak Grove, Stafford, Locust Grove, Spotsylvania, Caroline, King George and Summerduck.

MWHC Home Health Nursing Care

Mary Washington Home Health nursing staff consists of experienced and compassionate Registered Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants. Our nurses are committed to working with your doctor to develop individual care plans for each patient and their family.

Our Home Health nurses provide comprehensive in-home care for many diseases and conditions including:

• Heart failure
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Pneumonia/COPD management
• Joint replacements
• Cardiovascular surgeries

Nursing treatments may include the following:

We focus on teaching patients to be able to take care of themselves independently when applicable:

• Wound care
• Post-surgical care
• Ostomy care
• IV management
• Enteral nutrition
• Medication management
• Pain and symptom management

Home Health Services upon discharge from hospital

Often times, home health services are ordered by a physician as a patient is being discharged from the hospital and/or nursing home. Our nurses, social workers and intake team work closely with the patients physician and caregivers to seamlessly set up home care services for patients prior to their leaving the hospital. For many patients dealing with chronic conditions such as COPD and heart failure, home health services can greatly reduce repeated hospitalizations and readmissions.

Most patients receive an initial home health visit by a nurse or therapist within 48 hours of discharge from the hospital.

Home-based Rehabilitation

Following a major illness or injury, some patients may need help relearning how to perform daily activities or improve their speech. Mary Washington Hospital Home Health has a team of rehabilitation specialists to provide rehabilitation directly in a patient’s place of residence. Our goal is to teach patients how to best live safely in their home. Return demonstrations are completed to confirm patients can perform important tasks independently before leaving the home.

Physical Therapy - A physical therapist puts together a plan of care which helps patients regain or strengthen use of muscles and joints:

• Exercise Sessions
• Transfer training from place to place (in and out bed, in and out shower or tub)
• Gait and safe walking training
• Review fall precautions and weight bearing status
• Family and caregiver training
• Home Safety Review (equipment, walkways, bedroom and bath room accessibility)
• Coordinate equipment needs (walker, tub/shower bench, etc.)

Occupational Therapy - An occupational therapist helps patients with physical, developmental, social, or emotional disabilities relearn how to perform such daily functions as eating, bathing, dressing, and more:

• Teach and review activities of daily living (dressing, meal preparation, bathing)
• Teach and review use of adaptive equipment
• Edema (swelling) management, as needed
• Teach fall precautions

Speech Therapy - A speech therapist helps patients regain the ability to communicate clearly:

• Swallowing
• Cognitive Training
• Head and neck treatment

Thank a Caregiver

If you are led to give a tax-deductible donation to Mary Washington Home Health, please call 540.741.1512.

Checks can be made out to:

Mary Washington Hospital Foundation (Home Health)
(Write "Home Health" in the memo section)
2600 Mary Washington Boulevard
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

During regular in-home visits, home health nurses monitor and educate patients in the following:

• Following a prescribed treatment plan
• Tracking and monitoring their symptoms
• Taking medications as needed and looking out for side effects
• Maintaining a heart healthy diet and controlling their weight
• Watching the amount of fluid they consume
• Making healthy lifestyle changes

Our home health team teaches patients and their caregivers to use tools to monitor daily activities and record weight and symptoms. By caring for themselves, patients take control of improving their quality of life.

Call 540.741.1667 to speak with one of our intake specialists.

Home health aides are directly supervised by a nurse or other medical professional and may work with therapists or other medical staff. Aides keep track of what services the patient has received, as well as what sort of progress the patient has made. They also report any change in the condition of the patient to the case manager or supervisor.

Certified Nursing Assistants

Certified Nursing Assistants perform basic health-related services such as:

• Checking the patient’s pulse, temperature, and respiration rate
• Assisting the patient with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, mobility, etc…
• Changing simple dressings
• Caring for skin
• Helping with braces and artificial limbs

Home Health Social Workers

MWHC Home Health Social workers provide resources and information to ensure that the patient is safe and well-cared for in their home environment. By providing educational tools and connections to resources within the community, home health social workers are able to provide social, medical, and psychological assistance.

Social workers are responsible for:

• Ensuring the patient has the resources they need to remain safely at home.
• Evaluating any psychological, social and/or medical needs.
• Assisting with finding appropriate living arrangements when nursing home or assisted living placements are needed
• Communicating with physicians, nurses, therapy and administration about the patient’s needs.
• Helping with applications related to disability and insurance

Please call 540.741.1667 with any questions.