Mental Illness Team

If a patient is homebound and is suffering from any type of memory loss or possible mental illness, a psychiatric home health nurse may be considered. A signed physician’s order with psych diagnosis is required and it should read “Psych RN Eval and Treat”. Once received, we will schedule a visit by one of our Medicare certified psychiatric home health nurses. All County Health Care’s psychiatric home health nurses have a minimum of 1-3 years psychiatric experience. The patient will be visited by the nurse, usually weekly and will be periodically reevaluated for continuation of care. The psychiatric home health nurse will communicate with the interdisciplinary team regarding the patient’s psychiatric testing, progress, and recommendations throughout the term of care. The Psychiatric home health nurse will perform;

• A comprehensive physical and psychiatric evaluation.
• An individualized care plan formulated by an experienced psychiatric nurse.
• Administration of standardized psychiatric tests to determine cognitive ability or other concurrent mental health issues.
• Education of patient and/or family on pertinent topics including:
  • Early dementia
  • Coping with a memory loss diagnosis
  • Home safety
  • Medications
  • Caregiver strain
  • Behavioral disturbance in dementia

Coordination and communication with the physician and patient’s care team including professional recommendations for safety and long-term planning.