Pandemic Or Not, Home Care Nurses Still Make Visits

In the midst of months of COVID-19 restrictions, and the heroic work of medical professionals, St. Mary Home Care’s silent army marches out every day to tend to homebound patients across Bucks County.

These nurses, therapists, and social workers go to each house, donning several pieces of protective gear, for every stop. They remain undaunted, said Ruth Martynowicz, vice president of Mercy Home Health, with which St. Mary Home Care is affiliated.

Unlike hospital workers, there is no applause as they head home after their shifts, but their commitment to their vocation is unfailing. Some patients are recovering from hospitalization and need follow-up monitoring. Most need extended care, determined by diagnosis, or under treatment for chronic illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), diabetes, or other long-term illnesses, Martynowicz explained.

Technology is also a tool used in home care, she said. For instance, equipment installed in the home can transmit changes in a patient’s condition in real time. For a CHF patient, it could be a life saver. One example is a digital scale that can signal weight gain of as little as three pounds. which could indicate a buildup of fluid in the lungs.

Home care can take its toll on the professionals, Martynowicz said.

“Because they work alone, they don’t have camaraderie with other nurses,” as is the case in hospitals, she said.

Martynowicz has been a nurse for 35 years and remembers the HIV epidemic. COVID-19 is a more sinister challenge because of its rampant contagion. But when the current virus struck, she and her staff “heard the call and answered it,” she said.

Mercy Home Health is one of the 13,000-plus home care agencies that employ 2 million workers, and there is a gradual increasing shift from nursing home to in-home care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Joella Galligan, a former emergency room nurse, now a home care nurse with St. Mary Home Care, finds a family element to her homebound patients because nurse and patient get to know each other over time.

“I keep in touch with a lot of patients, and their families sometimes, even after the patient passes away. All of us have patients that request us back. I think that is our best complement, and that makes our job so rewarding,” Galligan said.

Galligan said that donning a mask, face shield, gloves, gown and booties was not a big deal, just an extra step in the overall mission: caring for her patients. Back in her car after a visit, she sprays Lysol on her shoes and on the floor of her car.

As for her transition from an emergency room to home care, it was a good fit, she said.

“Once I tried home care, I loved it. It’s totally different from the ER. We do a lot of things, such as teaching, wound care and flushing tubes and drains. You need really good assessment and time management skills, and my ER experience really helped,” she said.

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