HealthStar Home Health helps the populations we serve by identifying and focusing on prevalent health conditions such as high rates of heart disease or diabetes in specific communities. Responding to requests from people in diverse communities, HealthStar develops culturally-relevant services while identifying barriers to care, and then launches culture-specific care and prevention programs. Today, our programs offer services that address the unique needs of populations such as African Immigrant, African American, Native American, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities. This month we caught up with Holly Eide, Circle of Life Home Care’s Area Manager to learn more about this particular initiative and the Native Americans they serve.
Circle of Life Home Care is a home health care initiative offering personal health care services in the ten-county area of northwestern New Mexico, and the newly opened office in Casa Grande, Arizona. Following in the footsteps of the First Nations Home Health initiative which serves the Native populations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro and greater Minnesota area, in 2009 HealthStar Home Health opened a second office committed to providing culturally sensitive care to the Navajo tribal members both on and off the Reservations.
Circle of Life Home Care offers services which are specifically designed to enhance the health and well-being of Native American individuals. The New Mexico office is a short distance from the Navajo nation, which has about 330,000 members. This is the second largest tribal population nationwide, the largest being the Cherokee tribe. All the employees in our New Mexico office are Navajo-speaking and are members of the tribe themselves.
Since treating through our First Nations and Circle of Life Home Care initiatives, we have discovered common health issues amongst the Native American population. We see a higher population of Type 2 diabetes, which cause disabilities or a need for transfusions for some. Most individuals we care for in our Circle of Life Home Care initiative are elderly (age 65+) and many still live in a Hogan which have no flooring, no running water and are heated by a wood stove. A Hogan is a traditional Navajo hut made out of wood particles or clay. Others may live on the Reservation, or in a trailer home, while others live in neighborhoods near the Reservation.
When invited into the home of a patient to provide care, HealthStar Home Health and our professionals understand the need to be respectful of their wishes and environment. Our team of professionals works with the patient to provide the non-medical care they need. Our personal caregivers can offer reminders for medication, grooming, bathing, housekeeping and laundry services, and accompany to appointments. The client coordinators work with the caregivers through supervision, training and follow up with the clients to ensure the proper services are being provided. If there is a need for skilled therapies, such as physical therapy or occupational therapy, we work with other professionals to refer those services. Some clients may wish to use traditional medicines or request to work with a medicine man vs modern medicine and in those cases, HealthStar still respects their wishes.
At the Casa Grande, Arizona location, (which celebrated their 1-year anniversary in October 2018!), the clientele is different than in New Mexico. Although Arizona is a part of the Circle of Life Home Care initiative, the tribes have their own hospital and doctors, and HealthStar does not service the members on the Reservation. Instead, our Arizona location sees many clients who are aged 55+ disabled, ‘snowbirds’, and other local clients. There are 7 tribes in the AZ area, but they are more self-sufficient and prefer to care for their tribal members within the tribes. The Casa Grande area is approximately ½ Spanish speaking and we are able to cater to those individuals through team members who can communicate with them.
Here at HealthStar, our Native American-specific programs (First Nations and Circle of Life) offers equitable access to health care in order to reduce health disparities in diverse communities. Our cultural competence program, the 24ECC, internalized the values of those we serve:
We enjoy learning about traditions and being involved with the community by attending local holiday parties and visiting the local chapter houses. We partner with the chapter houses, or community centers, to support the seniors by offering memory screenings and other important events.
HealthStar Home Health understands how overwhelming and challenging it can be to care for a loved one at home and offers a variety of home healthcare services to help support your loved one to live a more independent and fulfilling life at home. To learn more about the various skilled nursing and therapies, and mental health services available, as well as the cultural initiatives we offer, visit our website.
Choosing home healthcare services shouldn’t involve settling for care that doesn’t reflect the needs of the individual. With HealthStar Home Health you will always be in control of your care (or that of your loved one), and allow you to receive the services you need in conjunction with the attentiveness to cultural background that defines superior home health care. Call us today at 888-689-3391 for more information or to schedule a no-charge consultation.
Holly Eide, Area Manager, Arizona + New Mexico. Holly has been with HealthStar Home Health for over eight years, the last 5+ years running the Circle of Life Home Care program. Holly has been involved with many initiatives over the years, including the Alzheimer’s Whisperer program and educating on the importance of memory screenings.