Spooked About Meeting Advanced Care Needs?

Capital Caring Health Can Put Your Fears to Rest! 

It’s perfectly reasonable to fear the unknown, especially when Halloween’s little goblins and ghouls are lurking in the dark, eager to scare you! But if thinking about aging or advanced illness gives you the jitters, it’s time to shed some light on all the options available to you or a loved one. Capital Caring Health (CCH) has the solutions you need, ranging from primary care at home…to treatment for serious pain or heart failure…to comprehensive care and support during life’s later stages.

Home Alone? We’ve Got Your Back!

Getting to a doctor’s office can be difficult when dealing with advance illness or a disability. Still, it’s never a good idea to skip healthcare which can help stabilize a chronic condition and keep it from getting worse. With Capital Caring Health’s Primary Care at Home (PCH) program, home-limited individuals 55 and older can age in place while getting the care they need, giving them and their loved ones peace of mind.

The program features:

• House calls by doctors, nurses, and social workers specially trained to care for elders with advanced illness.
• Mobile technology for diagnostic tests at home including blood work, x-rays, and ultrasound along with a secure online portal to communicate with your care team.
• 24/7 care coordination from a team always available by phone to arrange primary, urgent, specialist, and hospital care plus support services to age independently at home.
• Family time for staff to make sure everyone understands the plan of care and to discuss any issues or concerns.

Through an extra component, Stay at Home Services, CCH can also arrange support for PCH members that need additional help navigating daily life. Transportation, meal delivery, home repair, and a range of other Stay at Home Services are available to assist you or a family member age in place.

Primary Care at Home is currently available to residents of Northern Virginia; Northwest Washington, D.C.; and Chevy Chase, Maryland.

There’s No Trick to Treating Advanced Pain!

Built upon the latest technology and decades of experience, Capital Caring Health’s Schaufeld Family Advanced Pain Clinic (SAPC) helps those suffering severe and chronic pain from a multitude of conditions, mostly notably cancer.

Research shows that up to 80% of cancer patients report moderate to severe pain that affects their ability to function and their quality of life. Cancer treatment may also produce difficult side effects including pain, swelling, nausea, shortness of breath, even depression.

Through sophisticated, precision pain relief, SAPC’s experts can relieve pain and manage the symptoms and side effects of cancer, dementia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoarthritis, neuropathy, and neurological diseases (Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, ALS).

Bringing relief starts with a comprehensive evaluation and the most advanced technology and imaging techniques for a correct diagnosis and a minimally invasive intervention plan. The goal is to target pain at the source for a better outcome. The approach also avoids problems that may occur from long-term use of oral or intravenous pain relief medication including opioids.

In the Dark About Heart Failure?  

Dealing with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) can be especially challenging for both patients and loved ones. Yet frightening symptoms such as shortness of breath, swelling, major fatigue and depression can all be managed safely at home through Capital Caring Health’s new Advanced Cardiac Care (ACC) program.

Through ACC, patients with end-stage heart disease remain at home under the care of an interdisciplinary team, working with the patient’s doctor. Care includes:

• Regular visits and check-in calls by a nurse with specialized training.
• Patient education customized for each patient and family.
• Medications to help control symptoms.
• Additional supportive care by request—from a social worker, nurse assistant, chaplain, counselor, and/or a volunteer.

CCH and other experts also developed a Patient and Caregiver Handbook to help manage difficult symptoms at home. The practical guide includes:

• Symptom management and self-care tips.
• Information on medications and diet.
• Tools including a chart to monitor symptoms and a log to track blood pressure and weight.
• An action plan with guidance based on how a patient feels such as when to call a member of the care team or what steps one can take at home.

CHF patients can receive care from CCH at any stage, starting with Primary Care at Home following a new diagnosis, if otherwise eligible for the program.

You can download or request the Advanced Cardiac Care Patient and Caregivers Handbook here.

Compassionate Care for Body and Soul

As a nonprofit, Capital Caring Health is focused on serving community members across the life span. We provide compassionate medical, emotional, and spiritual care during some of life’s most difficult passages.

Advanced illness or palliative care is available to individuals of any age who may be suffering from a degenerative condition or other advanced illness. Care focuses on symptom management and relief from pain and stress. Designed to improve quality of life for patients and families, palliative care may be provided even while someone is still receiving curative care. Additional support includes clarifying information, discussing care options, and assistance in finding needed resources such as financial coverage, transportation, and more.

When the time is right, hospice care can let you or your loved one focus on what matters most at the end of life. We’ll provide the unique care and support you need, delivered by a specially trained and dedicated care team just for you. Individual services vary but include pain relief, symptom management, on-call support 24/7, and home delivery of prescriptions and medical supplies such as oxygen or a hospital bed. In-home social support is also available including healthy meal prep and delivery, light housekeeping. and brief respite support for caregivers.

Lastly, CCH also offers individual and family counseling, and a wide variety of support groups to help with grief and bereavement. Social workers, chaplains and nurses are available to discuss difficult issues including advance care planning and end-of-life preferences.

For more details, a referral, or evaluation, just call 800 869 2136. Or visit Capital Caring Health for a live chat 24/7 or to access information and resources online.