VNA Community Health Care, our local Branford VNA, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
A vitally important service most of us have depended on at one time or another, the nonprofit Visiting Nurse Associations nationwide care for 4 million patients each year and employ 75,000 health care professionals.
Our local VNA originated in 1910, when Dr. Charles W. Gaylord and some of Branford’s wealthier residents hired Maude Britt to serve as the town nurse. The Guilford VNA came into existence in 1920 when nurse Salina Callahan was hired.
At that time, the nurses main role was to assist with home births and to teach families about good sanitation. Subsequently, they also handled TB outbreaks and childhood diseases such as measles and mumps. Today, of course, they are responsible for such diverse needs as flu vaccinations, fall prevention and helping patients manage conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
All VNAs have similar goals and services, but are separate organizations. Recently, VNA Community Healthcare acquired Hamden and Madison and will serve Greater New Haven and the Shoreline. An important advantage to this consolidation is an area-wide caregiver support network and the sharing of up-to-date technology such as home monitoring and medical alert systems.
The latter features a special medical dispenser that chimes when it is time for a pill. If the pill is not taken, it sends an alert to a call center. Classes on how to avoid falls, good nutrition and other wellness strategies are an important part of the VNA prevention program, and they are held in several convenient locations.
According to Barbara Katz, VNA’s director of Clinical Program Development, “The VNA nurse is the first line of defense against going to a nursing home and their help can be enlisted when”:
-There is a new diagnosis or treatment or a medical condition that is getting worse.
-The person is on Medicare.
-An individual is homebound.
VNA Community Healthcare has a private-duty, affiliate known as Life Time Solutions, with offices in Guilford, Old Saybrook and North Haven. Strong House is the VNA’s weekday respite care facility in Madison, providing transportation, nursing, programs and meals. Call 203-245-0524.
The VNA has a help line and problem-solving resource that may be reached at 866-474-5230. They also offer a caregiver support network and various helpful publications, including caregiver tip cards and personal health notebooks.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary, the VNA is interested in collecting old stories from past workers or families who received care. To share your story, call Michele Ferguson at 203-458-4277.
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