Home Safe Is An Innovative Nursing Enterprise For Elders

HomeSafe is a nurse-managed program that coordinates, monitors and provides services for older adults in their own residence, which can be a single family home, apartment, or assisted living.

HomeSafe nurse case managers work with area agencies and county case management programs to arrange for services that allow older adults to remain in their homes safely. Along with promoting home safety, HomeSafe seeks to enhance the quality of life for elders who choose to remain in their own homes by enabling health promotion, management of chronic disease, and social opportunities. The integrated call center @UIHC provides 24-hour call availability.

HomeSafe serves older adults throughout Iowa. HomeSafe provides training and support to nurse case managers who assist older adults in their community. Since beginning operation almost two years ago, HomeSafe has served thirty residents throughout Iowa. Clients and families are expressing much satisfaction with the service. The families are happy to have up-to-date information on their relatives by a professional nurse and are pleased with the services provided by the nurse case manager and nursing assistants.

For example, one client was a 97-year-old gentleman living alone in Iowa City. He had three sons, all of whom lived out of state. The client wished to remain in his own home but was requiring assistance with meals, errands, homemaking, personal care, and assistance with social outings. HomeSafe was able to assess his need for services and then arrange for local services to be provided. The HomeSafe nurse case manager provided ongoing monitoring and support and made changes in the services provided as needed. She communicated with the client's sons on a regular basis, thus alleviating much of their concern for their father's safety.

HomeSafe provided nursing students several times a day who assisted the client with his meals, medication and socialization. This client often expressed his appreciation of and affection for the nursing students who visited him. Upon this client's death, his sons expressed much appreciation for HomeSafe services and stated, "because of HomeSafe, our father was granted his last wish, which was to remain in his own home until he died."

We also want to hear from you if you are interested in serving as a nurse case manager. We will be contacting University of Iowa nursing alumni throughout Iowa to provide nurse case manager services. These are paid positions and nurses can manage as few as one client if they desire.

Home Safe is a nurse-managed business and is a joint endeavor between the University of Iowa College of Nursing and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Department of Nursing.

To learn more about HomeSafe, visit our Web site at www.nursing.iowa.edu/homesafe or write to us at 320 S. Linn Street, Suite 12, Iowa City, IA 52240.