Regular home care visits make it possible for Delia Strand to continue to live independently at Whispering Pines Apartments in Forest Lake.

A little less than one year ago, Strand began experiencing some health problems that could have limited her independence. Twice, after raising her arms to wash her hair, she felt light-headed and dizzy and needed assistance. The problem was diagnosed as congestive heart failure.

Her children (Delia has five children living in Minnesota and Colorado.) wanted her to have some help with personal care and housekeeping. At first Strand resisted, but after she met the staff from Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice she changed her mind. And now she’s glad that she did.

“Vicki’s like a member of my family,” Strand says of her HomeCaring nurse Vicki Mickelsen. Not only does she provide nursing care, but Strand says Mickelsen helps her find her way through the maze of medical systems whenever she needs a doctor.

When Strand developed painful problems with her shoulders and elbow, Mickelsen located the numbers for the right specialists and gave them to Strand so she could make the calls.

“She keeps me informed and gets me through the phone systems,” says Strand. “When I need some help medically, I go through her. I can do the calling myself but sometimes I need a little bit of coaching.”

A former smoker who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Strand is on oxygen most of the time, and is at home 99 percent of the time. She prefers not to use a portable oxygen system, but can leave the house occasionally if she takes a “good nebulizer treatment” before she goes out.

Mickelsen visits weekly to monitor Strand’s vital signs and to set up her daily medications. Strand is on nine medications as well as oxygen.

In addition to nursing visits, Strand receives weekly visits from a home service aide, who helps with cleaning and laundry, and from a home health aide, who helps wash and set her hair.

For Strand the visits offer more than basic care. They are emotionally rewarding as well.

“It gives you an uplift when the aides come,” she says. “They work just as fast as they can (to get chores done in the prescribed times), but we still have time to visit while they’re doing things. While she sets my hair, we talk about cheerful things. They are wonderful caring people. I wouldn’t trade my homecare services for anything.”

Facts, figures

Delia Strand is one of more than 11 million Americans who benefit from home-delivered health care. Millions more receive hospice care through the nations 3100 hospice agencies.

Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice provides home health and hospice services to about 2000 individuals in this area alone.

“Helping frail, disabled and dying persons to stay independent in their homes is our goal,” said Karen Brohaugh, program director.

Located on the main floor of Fairview Chisago Lakes Clinic building in Chisago City, the program offers comprehensive care from pregnancy and childbirth to end of life for people in Chisago, Washington, Anoka, Isanti, Kanabec and Pine counties. Services include:

•Home health services include nursing care, help managing medications, wound care, infusion therapy, health teaching and screening. Also available are home health aides, physical, occupational and speech therapy provided in the home, social services, nutritional and pharmaceutical consultation and lab services.

•Homemaking services assist with meal preparation, house cleaning and laundry, and are provided to help a client safely remain at home.

•Maternal and child health programming includes nursing care and monitoring and education of high-risk pregnant women, newborn follow up and assessment, home phototherapy for newborn jaundice and care for disabled children.

•Hospice care is available to people of all ages who are living with a terminal illness. Family support is also a very important component of hospice care. The hospice team includes: nursing, personal care, therapy, social and volunteer services, chaplaincy and bereavement services.

•Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice supports special grief programs like Camp Triumph, to help kids cope with grief. Also, the Service of Remembrance to remember departed loved ones, is scheduled 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17 at First United Methodist Church in Lindstrom.

•Palliative services are provided to people with advanced illness who require symptom management and care through the direction of the interdisciplinary team.

For more information, call Fairview Lakes HomeCaring & Hospice at 651-257-8850 or 800-314-3328.

Top of Page