In keeping with its stated mission, Assisted Home Care provides “exceptional personal care” to individuals and families. According to Nancy Merrill, administrator of Assisted Home Care, the scope of home care has expanded and “is not just for the elderly.” With its “highly qualified and experienced staff, supervised by a registered nurse,” Assisted Home Care is able to provide services to a wide population, and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Heather Trainer, a registered nurse and the director of nursing at Assisted Home Care adds that home care “is also for parents with disabled children, [and] teens and young adults with special needs,” as well as the elderly and others. They provide in-home respite care, hospice care, and both temporary and long-term care. They also provide wound care, post-surgical care and assistance to new mothers and their babies. Assisted Home Care’s goal is to meet the needs of the entire family.

Assisted Home Care’s registered nurses are able to administer medications and intravenous fluids, and monitor feeding tubes. They speak with doctors on the family’s behalf, assist with changes in treatment regimens and follow through with doctor’s orders. Assisted Home Care’s health care providers ensure that the family’s voices are heard and that they remain involved in the process of planning for their loved one.

Assisted Home Care works around the family’s schedule to provide the best home care services available in the state of Maine and its practitioners have traveled throughout Maine, at all hours of the day, to meet the needs of its patients and families. Assisted Home Care also provides “staff relief” for facilities and other agencies whose staffing needs increase unexpectedly or are temporarily under filled.

This year, Assisted Home Care has added home maintenance to its list of available services. Through a trusted and capable subcontractor, Assisted Home Care will perform maintenance tasks and light home repairs such as snow removal, yard work and the construction of ramps to make the environment safe and the home accessible to a family member with physical limitations.

According to Trainer, one of the most valuable services provided by Assisted Home Care is “respite care.” Respite care reinforces and supports the belief that the family members “need to take care of themselves in order to take care of their loved one.” Respite care gives the family the time and space that they need to run errands or enjoy some personal time away from the tiring and stressful routine of providing round-the-clock care.

Merrill and Trainer both respect and acknowledge the difficulty that many family members have when it comes to relinquishing the task of caring for a loved one, even for short periods of time. They understand the feeling of guilt that a family caregiver may experience when they leave their loved one in the care of others, and they strive to provide family members with the physical, emotional and spiritual support that they need in order to stay healthy, alert and effective while providing care.

What sets them apart from other home health services is the “continuity of care” that Assisted Home Care is able to provide. When placing a caregiver in a home, Merrill

takes great care in matching the personalities of the caregiver, the patient and the family, to ensure a successful and positive experience for all.

Assisted Home Care is presently seeking to expand its family of health care providers and interested health care professionals are encouraged to contact them. For information as to how the family of health care providers at Assisted Home Care can help your

family and loved one after an injury,

illness, childbirth or surgery, as well as

with elder care, please call 207-783-7375

or 207-212-6736.

Client testimonials:

Dear Nancy, I wanted to take the time to write and thank you and the nurse who went to Cynthia’s house to care for her. Your team effort is very much appreciated! I was Cynthia’s hospice nurse, this was a very difficult case and because of your help and wonderful care, Cynthia was able to go peacefully and her family had good support. Thank you so much again. — Jo Pilgrim,

R.N., CHANS

Dear Nancy and staff, Jerry’s wish was to die at home and we couldn’t have accomplished that without the wonderful and caring people who came from your agency. Please give my best to all of those who became a part of our lives for these weeks. They will always be fondly remembered. — Family of hospice patient

Assisted Home Care

550 College Street, Lewiston, ME

783-7375

www.assistedhomecare.org