“I so appreciate everything they’ve given me back.” 

Chronic illness can be especially challenging as we age, and for 89-year-old Robert, the end of 2023 seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. Diagnosed some time before with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), his symptoms of shortness of breath, cough and general weakness were impacting his quality of life.  

A few weeks before Christmas, his insurance provider reached out to let him know that he was eligible for Palliative Care at Home, a joint program between Robert’s insurance company and Contessa. This innovative approach to bringing palliative care into people’s homes is provided through Contessa’s parent company, Amedisys, Inc. Robert’s daughter, Jackie, who he lives with, was intrigued by the opportunity and they agreed to enroll. 

A turn for the worse 

And then came the COVID-19 diagnosis. Just two weeks before Christmas, Robert and Jackie both fell ill with the virus, and it hit Robert especially hard. “He had no energy, he slept all the time and he just couldn’t breathe,” Jackie shared. “He kept saying, ‘I just want to be home with Mom,’” referring to his wife who had passed away earlier in the year. 

Although he had received medical care through a walk-in clinic and followed up with his primary care physician, he continued to feel worse. That’s when he had his first post-enrollment visit with a nurse from Palliative Care at Home. “She said he had two choices, to go to the hospital or receive antibiotics. He doesn’t want to go to the hospital,” Jackie explained.  

The palliative care team, including a nurse practitioner, helped them talk through his decision. “When they were talking to me about taking him to the hospital, they explained they would more than likely ventilate him, and he didn’t want that,” says Jackie.  

The alternative was medication to support him in improving his COPD exacerbation and symptoms of infection, and Jackie says the team felt this had good potential to help him feel better at home. So, they opted for the palliative care treatment recommendations. 

The impact of Palliative Care at Home 

After beginning the medications prescribed by the palliative care nurse practitioner, “Within two days he was feeling so much better,” Jackie remembers. “They gave us two really good antibiotics, a steroid and he had oxygen for his breathing.” 

That approach to care was exactly what Robert needed to turn the course of his illness around. Both he and Jackie were pleased and surprised to find that not only did he feel much better, he felt even better than he had the entire year prior.  

“Within two weeks, my dad went out to lunch with me, and he walked around without his oxygen,” Jackie exclaimed. ”And then yesterday we went and picked up a couple sandwiches and went to the park in town and took a walk — and he did great.  

 “Amedisys really truly saved his life.”    

How palliative care addresses quality of life 

Robert’s journey with chronic illness is an example of how Palliative Care at Home can step in to help fill gaps in individualized care planning and symptom management. Jackie elaborated on the year leading up to his serious COPD exacerbation due to COVID-19: “Several months before my mom passed away, he was getting very weak from the knees down. And I kept asking if that could be from lack of oxygen, because his numbers were always low,” she says. She also notes that at his annual follow-up with his pulmonologist no changes were noted, and he was considered stable enough to follow up again in a year.  

Jackie believes his overall slow decline was simply attributed to his combination of diagnosed health conditions and his advancing age. But since beginning Palliative Care at Home, “He’s getting so strong,” she observes. His leg weakness has improved, and she’s also seen other symptoms resolve. “He doesn’t have a cough anymore, and he’s had a cough since before my mom passed away,” she says. 

The best part, Jackie said joyfully, is that “Yesterday my dad just looked so happy. And he said, ‘We’re making memories, I didn’t think I was ever going to be able to.’ He didn’t think he would be able to go outside anymore. Just the look on his face, and how happy and thankful he is. I heard him talking to himself, saying, ‘I feel good, it’s so great to feel good.’” 

She added, “Amedisys was who really took care of us and gave us some time. My son’s getting married in November, and now my dad thinks he might live long enough to see him get married. That’s just wonderful.” 

Now that they’ve experienced Palliative Care at Home firsthand, Jackie is excited to tell others who she thinks may benefit from it all about the program. She notes that bringing the care home, rather than having to take her dad out of the house for care in his frail state was an especially wonderful benefit. “Palliative care truly is amazing, and I wish we’d started earlier. Maybe he wouldn’t have gone so dramatically down. I just truly feel like people should know there’s a benefit out there. 

“I so appreciate everything they’ve given me back.”