Our holistic approach helps patients live at home

Serving adults and the elderly, VNS Westchester’s mental health home care program is the largest program of its kind in Westchester and in surrounding counties.  The hallmark of our program is its holistic approach to treating patients in the comfort of their homes, including community integration to help patients achieve an optimal level of functioning and independent living. 

Led by a psychiatric nurse specialist, the core of our mental health team is comprised of registered nurses with advanced psychiatric training. Our nurses conduct home visits for assessment, evaluation and development of a treatment plan with interventions related to mental health issues in conjunction with medical/surgical needs.  Adjunct services complementing the mental health component include home health aides, social workers, medical/surgical nurses and relevant rehabilitation therapies. 

Program objectives:

• Complete the continuum of psychiatric care with a seamless transition of patients from the in-patient unit to the home and community
• Prevent expensive in-patient hospitalization by providing stabilization and monitoring services, therefore keeping patients linked to needed community-based psychiatric services
• Improve functional ability; decrease symptoms; improve knowledge base about medications, illness, coping, staying well, and accessing community services
• Improve medication compliance to decrease relapse in the seriously and persistently mentally ill
• Improve patients’ quality of life through a committed therapeutic relationship that facilitates positive change in the patient
• Improve family life through supportive interventions and education

Services:

• Assistance with home management focusing on inadequate levels of functioning, hygiene issues and compliance with medication regimen
• Administration of I.M. long-acting psychotropics
• Liaison with the community treatment team informing them of changes and important symptoms that may indicate decompensation or need for changes in the treatment plan
• On-going assessment of all health needs relevant to the individual’s diagnoses
• Consultative services for the individual whose primary diagnosis is medical/surgical in nature but requires mental health intervention because of difficulty coping with illness
• Coordinated home care services for non-compliant individuals and those with complex combined mental health/physical needs that present ongoing problems

For information on our Mental Health Home Care Program, call 914-682-1480.