CareOne at Jackson is proud to announce the launch of the CareOne Next Step Home program, a first of its kind specialized home preparation plan aimed at assisting patients and their families to achieve a safe and optimal discharge from the inpatient medical rehabilitation setting to the home and community.

Next Step Home is a program that embraces the philosophy that discharge planning begins at admission. CareOne is New Jersey’s largest family-owned and operated senior care provider dedicated to patients and their families at every stage of their recovery.

According to current data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nearly 20% of all Medicare patients discharged from the hospital return within 30 days. The Next Step Home program is geared towards reducing re-admissions to the acute-care setting through a comprehensive patient and caregiver education program during their rehabilitation and recovery.

“We have always approached patient care as a holistic process of seeing patients through various stages of care and involving a core clinical team of health professionals,” said Tim Hodges, Chief Marketing Officer, CareOne. “Next Step Home formalizes that process and creates a uniform system that is in place in every CareOne Center so families can rest assured that care is consistent and they will be equipped to provide the necessary support to loved ones for a safe return home.”

Highlights of the Next Step Home program include:

  • Comprehensive home preparation services for the return home, including diagnosis education, patient safety training, and therapy services.
    Discharge planning classes held routinely for patients and family members outlining the primary issues and education they need to be aware of for a safe return home.
  • Patients will train in a simulated home environment one week prior to their discharge to provide “real world” therapy to increase their likelihood of success in functioning when returning home.
  • Community re-entry prior to discharge – trips to supermarkets, banks, post office, etc. where therapy occurs in different environments, encouraging patients to return to life as normal.
  • Seven day a week therapy programs while staying at CareOne, to ensure no disruption in therapy programs.
  • Pre-Discharge home evaluations to ensure the necessary services and equipment are arranged specific to each patient’s living environment.
  • Discharge summary packet highlighting pertinent medical and health information and instructions for follow up care while at home.
  • Access to a CareOne representative via telephone – 72 hours after a patient is discharged to verify that the scheduled services are in place, answer any questions, and provide general assistance.
  • Orientation on home care services as well as a community resource directory.
  • Every CareOne Center has put together an informative Guide To Community Resources Directory outlining pertinent services and resources patients and their families can access to ensure that supportive care needs are met.

“The benefits of Next Step Home go above and beyond what is customary in postacute care facilities in terms of patient education and discharge preparation. Our goal is to ensure that patients and their families understand as much as possible about their medical issues and clinical needs, so that upon their return home, there is a thorough knowledge of the follow-up care and services that will be required,” said Rick Speas, CareOne’s Vice President of Rehabilitation Services.

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