Imagine you just got home from the hospital. The anesthesia from your surgery has started to wear off and you begin to realize you do not know how to care to your wound.  You can rest easy because you have home health care.

The Carilion Clinic, which has many hospitals and centers in the New River Valley, offers home health care to those in need, with a recommendation from a physician.

According to Carilion Clinic’s Web site, patients need to meet certain requirements to qualify for the home care. They must have a medical condition that prevents them from leaving the home and needs periodic care from a nurse.

The home nurses deal with the latest models of medical equipment while attending to varying ailments, with tasks such as disease monitoring, wound care, intravenous (IV) therapy, and basic health education.

Sara Snow, wife and mother of two, is a registered nurse and has worked for Carilion Clinic Home Care for almost three years. Snow majored in nursing at Radford University and graduated in 2002. Before working as a home health care nurse, she worked in the emergency department, as well as in pediatrics.

With a handful of patients to see every day, Snow gets an early start.

“I start the day between 8 and 9 at home by getting my schedule set for the day and transferring new information into my computer,” Snow said. “I usually get home between 3 and 4 and then do some work from home.”

Throughout her years in the health-care field, Snow has seen and attended to many different medical ailments.

“I usually see about six patients a day for various reasons,” Snow said. “Some patients need wound care, some have been in the hospital and need to be checked on frequently after hospitalization, some need IV antibiotics or blood drawn.”

Through all of her home visits, Snow also gets a look at the different financial statuses of her patients in the New River Valley.

“I can go from a really nice house with a patient who doesn’t have to worry about money to a very dirty and run-down house with a patient that has no insurance and can’t afford medicines and things they need to get better,” Snow said.

For Snow, her job is more than just driving, documentation, and medical care.

“It is very rewarding when I am able to see patients progress and get better,” Snow said. “I really feel like I make a difference to most of my patients. I see them so much I really have a chance to get to know them and their families.”

Maxim Healthcare Services, which is locally based in Roanoke, also offers many of the same treatments as Carilion Clinic. As listed on its Web site, Maxim Healthcare Services has nurses to assist with cardiovascular, respiratory, blood, skin, neurological and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as disease care, AIDS/HIV, and cancer.

The Web site also emphasizes many tasks frequently performed by the nurses for their patients. Not only do they attend to medical disorders and conditions, but they also assist with personal hygiene, meal preparation and administration, and basic daily activities.

Maxim Healthcare Services also has medical social workers who are accountable for grief counseling and managing chronic illness at home. Maxim Healthcare Services also offers therapists for a range of situations, including occupational therapists and speech-language therapists.

Aside from Carilion Clinic and Maxim Healthcare Services, many other home health care services exists in the New River Valley, such as Interim Healthcare, Circle Home Care, Advanced Health Services, and Medi Home Health and Hospice. These organizations are accessible in Pulaski, Christiansburg, Roanoke, Wytheville, and other areas. The Website www.carepathways.com provides a list of home health care services by state.

Rachel Shapiro is an intern for the New River Voice who has recently experienced some home health care.