June 3, 2020

Providing Extra Support During COVID-19: EveryStep Home Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned lives around the globe upside down. That includes EveryStep's hospice and home care patients.
 
With social distancing measure in place and restrictions enacted related to group gatherings, many of our patients and clients have had to adapt to a new reality without trips to the YMCA or grocery store.
 
That's exactly what happened for one EveryStep Home Care patient in Creston recently.
 
The woman, who kept an active social calendar including a twice-weekly trip to exercise at the local YMCA and games of bowling, became emotional about the situation recently, recalls Shanna Lacy, an aide with the EveryStep Home Care team in Creston.
 
"I was over there for our weekly appointment," Shanna says. "She was crying and upset because she just couldn't stay in the house."
 
While trying to comfort the woman, Shanna got an idea: She'd help her get out of the house.
 
"I told her I'd come over and take her to breakfast the next day," Shanna says, noting that she called the woman's son to ensure that was okay.
 
With the quarantine in place and many places closed, Shanna suggested they could drive to McDonald's to pick up breakfast and return to the woman's home to play a game of Uno.
 
The next day, Shanna stopped by the woman's house and they hit the road.
 
"We went thought the McDonald's drive-thru, she got biscuits and gravy and a coffee," Shanna says. "Then we took the long way home."
 
The simple experience had a significant impact on the patient.
 
"She was so tearful, it pulled on my heartstrings," Shanna says. "She was definitely happy. We laughed and giggled. She forgot about how she couldn't get out and about, and her son was very appreciative, too."
 
The trip, while not a typical outing for Shanna, is just one example of how EveryStep's care staff has adapted their care strategies and ensured our clients and patients are taken care of.