Timed with National Nutrition Month®, Interim HealthCare unveils empowering, proprietary approach to holistic care for those with diabetes.
SUNRISE, Fla. — Interim HealthCare Inc., the nation’s leading franchise network of home healthcare, personal care, healthcare staffing, and hospice services, is launching the latest offering in its HomeLife Enrichment® series focused on the chronic condition of diabetes. Interim HealthCare’s program supports the patient holistically through mind, body, spirit and family dimensions. As an extension of the doctor’s office, a comprehensive standard of care, this proprietary approach empowers the newly diagnosed person living with diabetes and their loved ones with valuable information about the impact nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress and medication has on healthy body function.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 34 million Americans (or one in 10 people) are living with diabetes, and 90-95 percent of those diagnosed have Type 2 diabetes. For the family and caregivers of those people, understanding how to confidently support and navigate a new diagnosis plays an integral role in the ongoing management of the condition. Enabling the lifestyle changes recommended after a diagnosis through the unique power home-centered care provides can significantly lessen the symptoms associated with diabetes and ideally prolong the quality of life for the individual impacted by the disease, and their loved ones.
“As home healthcare professionals, we enter the lives and homes of individuals and their families to see them through very personal, oftentimes emotional, healthcare journeys,” said Jennifer Sheets, Interim HealthCare Inc. president and CEO. “We believe, with the right support, anyone can experience a more rewarding and independent lifestyle. Anchored by our more than 25 years in diabetic chronic care, we are empowered to share our exclusive and multi-faceted standard of care with the millions of Americans who are on this journey with their family members living with diabetes.”
A key element of Interim HealthCare’s HomeLife Enrichment® for Diabetes standard of care is its new resource, “Caring for a Loved one with Diabetes” (caregiver guide). As the next focus of its chronic care management and education mission, the caregiver guide is debuting to coincide with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics‘ National Nutrition Month® which promotes the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthy eating and physical activity habits – both critical in diabetes management.
The timing of this guide also parallels the industry’s recovery from trends that have persisted since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic – it serves as a critical asset in the shift toward better health and care management moving forward. The caregiver guide is expected to be most impactful to mitigate challenges caused by:
- Medical practices and hospitals that shut down last spring to non-essential care and services, leaving millions of people managing high-risk chronic conditions such as diabetes to defer care and treatments.
- Americans broadly showing a heightened focus on their personal health and well-being who are receiving delayed or overdue diabetes diagnoses.
The caregiver guide equips families with the tools and insights needed to care for the whole individual, not just one facet of their disease management. This approach gives household and extended family members a holistic view of diabetes care and how interconnected each aspect is with big-picture outcomes. Through exploration of the care process, families will understand what their loved one needs and how best to care for them in ways that improve mental, emotional and physical health:
- Mind: Caring for the mind involves knowledge, insight and understanding of the new diagnosis which lead to actions that produce new habits and positively impact outcomes.
- Body: A crucial part of managing diabetes and minimizing other serious health risks associated with it requires commitment to caring for the body including nutrition, exercise and sleep as well as care for the skin, feet, oral hygiene, and eye health.
- Spirit: A diabetes diagnosis can be emotional. In addition to necessary lifestyle changes, caring for a person’s spirit is the most compassionate form of care there is. It can lead to a more positive outlook, offers support for their emotions, and inspires joy amid their health challenges.
- Family: Family also plays a key role in the care process. Care for the family involves educating, guiding and supporting those caring for a loved one with diabetes. It fosters understanding, helps improve outcomes and encourages self-care.
“Living with and managing diabetes is absolutely possible,” said Sheets. “I watched my father manage his diabetes, even with the complex and early-onset Type 1 diagnosis, with great commitment through the power of knowledge – and he had the quality of life to prove it. As a healthcare provider and industry leader, we hope this resource encourages positive lifestyle changes so that those with diabetes don’t see it as a life sentence but rather an opportunity to help empower and enable a life without limits.”
Interim HealthCare’s proprietary training programs enable home health clinicians and paraprofessionals to perform at the top of their license and provide valuable education and assistance. With more than 55 years’ experience caring for people, and as the First in Home Care®, Interim HealthCare’s multi-disciplinary care teams support clients living with diabetes in familiar surroundings – at home or in assisted living communities.
This unique home-based focus provides a more intimate and unedited view into an individual’s daily life. It also creates an effective education partnership with the individual’s primary care provider or doctor in the hospital. Often, the education provided by a physician isn’t enough for the true impact of a diabetes diagnosis to sink in. By extending that education into a “real-life” setting, home health clinicians and paraprofessionals get a total view of the patient to better inform a tailored care plan. An in-home support system also has insight into what matters to people most. This difference results in care plans that account for their specific support needs, personal motivations and obstacles, and adherence tendencies for improved health management and ideally a better quality of life.
Interim HealthCare specialty programs fall under its HomeLife Enrichment® standard of care offerings. Currently, these span cognitive care with a focus on dementia, COVID-19, and other chronic care conditions with more planned in the next 18 months.
Download the free diabetes caregiver guide here and learn more about Interim HealthCare’s diabetes program by reaching out to a locally owned and operated office. Access the office locater at https://www.interimhealthcare.com/locations/.
About Interim HealthCare Inc.
Founded in 1966 and First in Home Care®, Interim HealthCare Inc. is unique in combining the commitment of local ownership with the support of a national organization that develops innovative programs and quality standards. The only major franchise brand in its category to offer the full continuum of care, the company strives to improve the delivery of home healthcare and staffing services through 330 plus locations servicing the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Ranked #1 for the third year in a row by Entrepreneur magazine, franchisees employ nurses, therapists, aides, companions and other healthcare professionals who provide 25 million hours of home care service to 200,000 people each year, meeting a variety of home health, senior care, hospice, palliative care, pediatric care and healthcare staffing needs. For more information or to locate an Interim HealthCare office, visit www.interimhealthcare.com.
SOURCE Interim HealthCare Inc.