AUBURN — Now is the perfect time to honor and thank all the caregivers in the community who do so much for the people they serve. Through their action, the caregivers of Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice provide their patients support, security and comfort as they age, combat illness, suffer from disability or face the end of their life.

Through home care and hospice services, AHCH strives to support these caregivers and the families they work with by providing clear information and education regarding disease process and progression, symptoms, comfort, medications, functional abilities and goals, and what to do in the event of a change in condition.

Home health and hospice care is highly skilled and professional health care which, due to the relationships with local hospitals, enables AHCH to be able to provide patient-centered care through the health care continuum for those in need. Professional staff meets patients and their families in their home, or their place of residence where there is an intimacy and connection that rarely occurs in other settings.

Home health care seeks to support someone in maintaining their independence, achieve recovery and optimal functioning from sudden or chronic disease. The Chronic Care Program is designed to teach and encourage patients to self-manage their chronic diseases more effectively through initiatives like the Telehealth Program which has proven successful at reducing emergency department visits and hospital readmissions by allowing AHCH staff to closely monitor a patient’s status electronically on a daily basis.

Hospice provides compassionate support for someone facing a life-threatening illness. The Hospice Team strives to alleviate fear and suffering, in whatever forms that may be, in order to free the patient and their loved ones to do the things they want or need to do during the time they have left. This is accomplished through programs like Compass Care which provides palliative care that is provided by a team of health care professionals that focuses on reducing the severity of symptoms or side effects of a chronic or life limiting illness.

Two programs that were developed from the Compass Care program are Peaceful Passage, encouraging patients and family members to spend their last days together with gratitude for the life of the patient, forgiveness, healing and an opportunity to come together to share this universal experience; and the Forget Me Not program, which is a volunteer powered initiative for patients with later stages of Alzheimer’s/Dementia on Hospice services.

Home care and hospice professionals make a difference every day for our communities’ seniors, disabled and infirm.

To learn more about any of the initiatives discussed or to learn how Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice can help you or a loved one, call 207-777-7740 or go to www.ahch.org.