DECATUR Joe Skelley understands the importance of his job as service coordinator for the DMH Home Health Care Services.

You see them (patients and their families) in some happy times and some sad times, he said. Sometimes youre the only one they get to see every day.

To some, it may not seem like a very rewarding job, but spiritually and emotionally it is, Skelley said. It makes you feel blessed for the things that you have, especially with the folks that you meet and the things they are going through.

In appreciation of their employees, the DMH Home Health Care Services will be celebrating Home Healthcare, Hospice and Palliative Care Month during November. The national observance was created to honor home healthcare caregivers who deal first-hand with the good and the bad days that the patients and their families face in times of illness.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month, nurses, therapists, counselors and equipment personnel employed through the service will be treated to special refreshments and an ice cream social. The team will also be treated to a Thanksgiving meal later in the month.

Patients arent staying in the hospital very long, said Julie Malone, a registered wound care nurse. So we are going into the homes to take care of them.

Home health caregivers provide assistance in various ways. Patients receive specialized care such as medical assistance, counseling and therapy.

We get to develop a relationship not only with the patient but with the family, said Michelle Johnson, Home Health Services Administrative Director. It is a privilege and an honor to care for these people. We always want to live up to that level of trust, Johnson said.

Many home health workers say they find their job fulfilling in ways they had not expected. For instance, although hospice is known for the care given at the end of life, employees appreciate the relationships they build with patients and families.

What you are doing for the family, you are leading them through the most difficult times in their lives, said Hospice and Palliative Care Manager, Karen Hood. It is very rewarding.

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Health care workers honored for their in-home service to patients