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Janice Feenstra of Naples knows what is important: a four-time survivor of HER-2 positive breast cancer, she has spent almost a decade focusing on family and faith while fighting for her life. A former nurse at Avow, a hospice and palliative care provider based in Collier County, Feenstra is now an Avow patient. She works with Avow’s non-hospice palliative care team to address physical and emotional symptoms that affect the quality of her life. The palliative care team provides care oversight, guidance, and support to people like Feenstra, who have a serious illness but who are not at end of life.
“I’ve always been a strong and positive person, and I’ve been blessed with a wonderfully supportive family that has been by my side throughout my illness,” says Feenstra. “Over the course of my disease, I’ve had setbacks and periods of difficulty dealing with things like pain and nausea from treatments. The Avow palliative care team has been by my side, resolving the side effects that make me feel sick and fatigued. I have also taken great strength from the social worker on the Avow palliative care team, who uplifts me when I feel ready to ‘throw in the towel’ after so many years of fighting for my life. The team makes a huge difference in my ability to enjoy my life, even while I am still quite ill.”
Avow recently implemented remote patient monitoring, a medical technology that provides monitoring tools for patients with chronic illnesses. The devices capture vital patient health indicators such as blood pressure, blood sugar, body temperature, blood oxygen concentration, and weight, then transmit the results to Avow, and if requested, the patient’s primary care or specialist provider for follow-up. Patients appreciate the devices because they have been shown to reduce the need for doctor visits and hospitalizations, lower healthcare costs, and improve quality of life.
Eileen Fagan Crowley, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse for Avow’s palliative care service, values the benefits of the remote patient monitoring technology for patients, their caregivers, and the palliative care team. “When patients regularly measure their vitals from home, we can quickly identify early warning signs of changes in their underlying conditions,” says Crowley. “Sometimes patients or their caregivers aren’t even aware that something important has changed. The monitoring devices help us quickly respond to patient needs in real time, all without requiring the patient to leave home or schedule a visit with the palliative care team. We like to call the devices the ‘digital team members’ that help us care for patients.”
The devices are mailed to patients, which may include blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, fingertip pulse oximeters, heart rate monitors, or weight scales, directly to patients, then follows up with personalized training. “The devices are very easy to use for people who have no special training or experience in self-monitoring,” says Crowley. “We understand that patients and their families are often stressed, and need tools that are not overwhelming in any way. The devices transmit results to clinicians who immediately respond when those results are outside of expected norms. That means we can respond very quickly to emerging patient needs.”
Janice Feenstra recalls an experience she had when monitoring her blood pressure. The device detected an elevated reading, and both the Avow palliative care team and her primary care physician checked in with her after receiving the results.
“They determined the spike was due to a change in medication,” says Feenstra, “and that I had nothing extra to worry about. It was wonderful, feeling cared for and watched over, even on a weekend when medical offices are usually closed.”
Crowley says these remote monitoring devices can also make family caregivers feel more confident in the home care they provide. “Spouses or other caregivers can see in real-time that their loved one is stable, or they can see how the patient reacts to changes in their health status. Family members out of the area can also take comfort in knowing we are keeping a watchful eye on their loved one’s vital measurements. These devices can be an extension of care in the patient’s home, keeping comfortable, and in control until our next visit.”
Avow’s palliative care team sees patients in their palliative clinic on the Avow campus in central Collier County and provide house calls to patients wherever they live. For more information, call the clinic at 239-280-2288 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.), or visit www.avowcares.org.
Avow
239-280-2288
www.avowcares.org
