Strategic initiatives

  • Sponsor programs that effectively coordinate the delivery of long-term care services in the home setting as a substitute for, or alternative to, institutionalization.
  • Encourage the development of projects that extend the benefits of technology to the bedsides of patients at home, to the kitchen tables of their family caregivers, and to the devices of their professional caregivers.
  • Promote availability of highly competent home care professionals and paraprofessionals through innovative education and training programs.
  • Conduct outreach initiatives which heighten awareness among professionals and the public of the evolving capabilities of care at home.
  • Support the dissemination of knowledge and experience in palliative care to produce enduring improvements in end-of-life care.

Care initiatives

Children's Bereavement Program

The Children's Bereavement Program supports children and young adults during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives—as they cope with the death of someone they love. The program encourages children and young adults to ask questions and talk about the person who has died in a safe and comfortable environment. It helps them work through the grieving process at their own pace and in their own way. It offers care to our hospice families as well as providing resources to families in our community.

Learn more about the Children's Bereavement Program

Patient Assistance Fund

Last fiscal year, Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice provided services to over 16,000 home health and hospice patients. Each year, we see a growing number of patients who simply cannot afford to live safely and with dignity in their own homes. Elderly patients and low income families are struggling in the face of soaring utility and medical costs. At the same time, community resources are dwindling. Several organizations with a long tradition of community support have been forced to cap their support grants. Others simply no longer exist.

The clinical staff of Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, led by a registered nurse or physical therapist, assess the skilled needs of patients at home. Under-insured and low-income patients often put themselves at risk unintentionally. They overlook or dismiss the importance of items such as home safety fixtures and nutritional supplements because the cost of these items is seen as an extravagance given their limited income. Our trained staff is instrumental in identifying the kinds of support needed to help patients remain safe and independent during illness and recuperation.

Donated funds are used for patients who require financial assistance in three categories:

  • Medical equipment and supplies (not covered by insurance). Supplies and safety equipment include, but are limited to: Bathroom grab bars, Tub seats, Hand showers, Transfer benches (in and out of tub), Raised toilet seats and Nutritional supplements
  • Medications (limited supply until other funding sources can be established)
  • Transportation (back to physician office for follow-up care, x-rays, and other related medical procedures)

Telemonitoring Program

Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice has experienced positive outcomes in the use of telemonitoring technology. Established in 2009, our telemonitoring program remains an important supplement to in-home services, as home health patients receive timely data and education about how their behaviors (diet, medication compliance/noncompliance) directly impact their vital signs (weight, blood pressure, glucose and oxygen saturation levels), health status, and quality of life. Among those with congestive heart failure (CHF) patients, we have seen significant differences between the rehospitalization rate of patients who receive these services and those who do not.

Given the strong success of the telemonitoring program in reducing rehospitalizations and improving health outcomes for patients with chronic health conditions, we have further enhanced the program through the addition of videoconferencing capability. The enhanced capability of videoconferencing allows our Advanced Illness Management nurses to more effectively evaluate a patient’s health status, by:

  • observing his/her physical appearance
  • picking up on non-verbal cues
  • having visual access to medications in order to accurately reconcile actual medications the patient is taking with those prescribed with his/her physician(s)
  • providing increased structure to a patient’s remote home visit
  • increasing his/her self-care management

And, for many of our patients who are socially isolated, we also anticipate the added benefit of improved psychological and emotional well-being.