Visiting Nurses’ Patient Care Promotes Independence, Improved Recovery
When Nicholas Chura, RN, began working with the Albany Med Health System Visiting Nurses, one of his first patients was Thomas Flynn, who had a difficult wound on his lower leg. Three times a week, Chura would visit Flynn at his home in Delmar to assist with intravenous antibiotics, and to clean, soak, and re-dress his wound, take his vitals, and assess his overall health.
“What’s your pain like today?” Chura asked at a recent visit, watching as Flynn, now 78, walked down the hall, passing mementos and vibrant paintings, some by his 11 grandchildren. He said his pain has been minimal, and Chura echoed a recommendation from Flynn’s physician that he begin physical therapy to improve his walking.
The Visiting Nurses extend patient care outside of medical settings, like the hospital, rehabilitation facility, or nursing home, and into the homes of housebound adults throughout the region.
One of the longest operating home health care providers in the nation, the Visiting Nurses offerings include nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and home health aide, dietitian, and social work services.
“Before, I went to the doctor’s a few times a week, with my family’s help,” Flynn said, adding that the movement involved in getting to appointments was painful. “Now I am here, home where it’s more comfortable and more convenient. And then I can go on with my day.”
Of the 25 to 30 patients Chura visits each week, most are for wound care, with about 20 percent in need of post-hospitalization follow-up care. “In the hospital, they prepare you to go home,” he explained. “We help you live the life you want when you get home—get you to your new 100 percent.”
Independent at Home
Kristen Anuszewski has been an occupational therapist for 24 years and with the Visiting Nurses for the last two. “Home care is such a valuable service,” she said. “It helps people stay healthy and independent in their own home—and there’s no place like your own home.”
Samantha DiCicco, RN, chief executive officer of the System’s Visiting Nurses, noted the impact on patient recovery and said, “Care from the Visiting Nurses plays a critical role in improving patient outcomes by providing high-quality, personalized care in the comfort of a patient’s home. This approach promotes faster recovery, reduces hospital readmissions, and enhances overall quality of life.”
Anuszewski has worked in many settings— skilled nursing and rehab facilities, hospitals, and schools—but prefers going to patients’ homes, where she helps people recovering from orthopedic procedures like hip or knee replacements, spinal surgeries, or deconditioning due to a long hospital stay.
“Occupational therapy is very function- based,” she said. “Seeing the person in their home environment, talking to them about their specific needs—it’s the perfect setting to help people achieve their goals and to be able to do what is meaningful to them, and to make recommendations based on their functionality and support system.”
Anuszewski drives a Visiting Nurses vehicle with her supplies at the ready. She carries a home care bag with tools to measure weight, blood pressure, and vitals, handouts, and educational materials, and items like resistance bands for therapy.
Personal Connection
It’s bittersweet as Flynn’s health improves: being discharged from the Visiting Nurses’ service means no more weekly visits from Chura. In the year and a half they’ve been working together, the two have spent many hours sharing stories about their lives.
Flynn’s late wife Colleen was also Chura’s patient before she passed, and he would visit them together, with the couple’s large Irish setter nearby.
When onboarding new colleagues, Chura assures them the work is as meaningful as those in a hospital setting. “Our assessments are critical to catching the early signs of complications,” he said. “You can help them get to the hospital before something escalates.”
He smiled and pointed to his phone. A recently discharged patient hadn’t picked up his medication the day before, and Chura had educated him of the dangers of delayed medicine. The patient sent a photo of his morning pharmacy pickup.
“I have the best job in the world,” he said, as he stowed his medical bag in the car and headed off to see his next patient.