Coming home from Geisinger Lewistown Hospital

Before discharge from Geisinger Lewistown Hospital

Ask the case manager what the first two weeks at home will require, and call us as soon as a discharge date is likely, because staffing in Juniata County takes more notice than near our Harrisburg office. Geisinger Lewistown Hospital is on Highland Avenue in Lewistown and is the closest hospital for most Juniata County families; others go to Harrisburg or to Geisinger's main campus in Danville for specialist care and then come home here. Questions to ask before the ride home:

• Which home health services are ordered, and does that agency cover your parent's address in Juniata County? Federal rules require the hospital to give you a list of available agencies and let you choose.
• Can your parent manage porch steps, a farmhouse staircase and the bathroom alone?
• Which prescriptions are new or changed, and can they be filled in Lewistown or Mifflintown before going home?
• Is the follow-up in Lewistown, at a local practice, or farther away, and who will drive?
• What signs should send your parent back to the emergency department?

Then call us at (717) 695-2704. Juniata County is one of our outer counties, so the in-home consultation takes a little longer to arrange than in the Harrisburg area.

Juniata County, not Mifflin County

We serve Juniata County homes after a Lewistown discharge: Mifflintown and Mifflin along the Juniata River, Port Royal, Thompsontown and Mexico downriver toward Perry County, Richfield and McAlisterville to the east, and East Waterford, Honey Grove and Cocolamus in the outlying valleys. Mifflin County, including Lewistown, Burnham, Reedsville and Belleville, is outside our 16-county service area, so we cannot staff those addresses; the Mifflin-Juniata Area Agency on Aging at (800) 348-2277 can point Mifflin County families to local options. In Juniata County, schedules depend on caregiver availability, and longer, recurring shifts are much easier to staff than one-hour visits. Huntingdon County families near Mount Union who use Lewistown can also call us. See our Juniata County page and the Mifflintown community page.

The first days home

After surgery or a hospital stay, the first days home are about routine and a steady hand, especially on a farm lane where help is not next door. When we know the date early, we work to have a caregiver meet your parent at the house, help them settle, prepare a meal and give Medication Reminders that follow the discharge sheet. Then: help with bathing and dressing, meals, laundry, a careful walk with the walker, reminders for the therapy exercises, a ride to the follow-up, and a note to you each day. If night-time trips to the bathroom are the worry, many families start with overnight care.

Working alongside the home health agency

The home health agency sends nurses and therapists for short, physician-ordered visits, generally covered by Medicare for patients who qualify. Our caregivers provide non-medical help between those visits: personal care, meals, light housekeeping, supervision and company. We do not provide nursing, therapy, wound care or injections. Medicare does not pay for ongoing non-medical home care. Families pay privately or use long-term care insurance, VA benefits, or a program such as OPTIONS through the Mifflin-Juniata Area Agency on Aging. Our home care vs. home health guide explains the difference.

We are independent of Geisinger

It's Your Home Care is an independent home care agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. We are not affiliated with Geisinger or Geisinger Lewistown Hospital. Families call us directly. Our caregivers are W-2 employees who complete criminal background checks, ChildLine clearance, TB screening and competency training before assignment. When you are ready, request an in-home consultation.