May 1, 2024 • 36 mins
House Calls: Bringing Healthcare to Your Doorstep
Are you tired of battling traffic to see the doctor or waiting in crowded waiting rooms? Dr. Candice Adams, a nurse practitioner with over 25 years of experience in the industry, shares insights on the benefits of house calls and the personalized care they offer.
Tips:
1. Convenience at Your Doorstep: Discover the ease and comfort of having healthcare providers come to you, eliminating the hassle of traveling to appointments.
2. Personalized Care: Learn how house calls allow for a deeper connection between patients and providers, leading to more comprehensive and tailored healthcare.
3. Medication Management: Explore the benefits of in-home medication reviews and compliance checks, ensuring optimal health outcomes.
4. Family Involvement: Understand the importance of involving family members in the care process, fostering a supportive and collaborative healthcare environment.
5. Planning for the Future: Consider the transition to a house call provider when mobility issues arise, ensuring continued access to quality healthcare without the stress of transportation.
We encourage you to visit our website now at www.connect-empower.com to explore more information on our guest and to access our resources.
To ask us your questions or to share your story, email us at podcast@connect-empower.com.
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John & Erin
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
John (00:10):
This is almost too good to be true.
House calls.
Health care that comes to you.
That's right.
No more battling traffic to seethe doctor or sitting in waiting
rooms that feel like timecapsules.
We'll talk about how they'rechanging the game for us and our
parents, share some fantastictips on getting the best out of
their services, and maybe cracka few jokes about our own not so
(00:32):
young anymore moments.
Whether you're exploring optionsfor yourself or thinking about
mom and dad, We're just curiousabout the convenient twists in
health care.
You're in the right place.
(00:52):
I'm John.
Erin (00:53):
I'm Erin, and you're listening to Connect and Power,
the podcast that proves age isno barrier to growth and
enlightenment.
John (01:00):
Tune in each week as we break down complex subjects into
bite sized, enjoyable episodesthat will leave you feeling
informed, entertained, and readyto conquer the world.
Erin (01:15):
My family and I have a personal experience with our
guests today, helping my dad andall of us in our time of need.
I'm really excited to talk withher today as she shares with us
what house calls are.
who they serve and the benefitsand what type of medical
services can be provided and howto choose a house call provider.
She's a nurse practitioner andboard certified adult geriatric
(01:39):
specialist who has been in theindustry for over 25 years.
She started out as a caregiverand worked in a variety of
different healthcare settingsincluding home health, hospice,
assisted livings, rehab andorthopedics, and just to name a
few.
She lights up a room when sheenters and has such compassion
(01:59):
for all her patients.
John (02:01):
Get ready to unlock the door to personalized care,
convenience, and well being aswe warmly welcome our esteemed
house call provider, Dr.
Candice Adams.
Thank you so much for beinghere, Candice.
Candice Adams (02:15):
Thank you so much for having me.
That was such a warm welcome.
I really appreciate all the kindwords.
everything you said, yes, I'vehad a long history in the
healthcare field, but my heartwas definitely touched by
healthcare and the idea ofcaring for other people at a
very young age.
like you mentioned, I did startout here locally as a CNA,
(02:38):
that's a certified nursingassistant, and provided really
just hands on personal care forthe geriatric population.
I then moved to California whereI attended a vocational school
and became an LVN and workedthere as a traveler in many of
those settings that youmentioned.
(02:59):
when I moved back here to Boise,though, there weren't a lot of
opportunities for LVNs at thattime.
So that's when I decided to goback to school.
John (03:09):
What is a LVN?
I'm not, is that a licensedvocational nurse?
Candice Adams (03:15):
Yes, so that's a licensed vocational nurse.
And then at the issue, I wasable to obtain my, which is a
registered nurse.
Erin (03:24):
Have they gotten rid of those?
Because I thought somewherealong the line, they're going to
slowly start phasing those TheLVNs.
Candice Adams (03:32):
There are still quite a few LVNs practicing in
different settings, but I was aperpetual student.
I decided to, after the RN, goback and get my DNP.
Erin (03:45):
Oh my gosh.
That's a lot of school.
Good for you.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
I thought about I don't know ifI ever shared with you my own
nursing.
I went and sat at Oh, what's thecollege on California now?
It doesn't matter.
It was UCLA.
I ran into there and sat in andthought about getting my
master's in nursing and theywent through everything.
(04:07):
And I remember my younger twokids, they were in their junior
and senior year of high schooland they're like, you will never
see anybody.
You will be here literally fortwo years.
So that kind of turned me awayfor a second.
Part of the time I was like, Oh,I should have done it.
Candice Adams (04:23):
Yeah, definitely a lot of schooling.
My kids and my husband weredefinitely happy when it was all
over.
Erin (04:29):
Oh, I bet.
How did you get in the industry?
What was like your full circleor story?
Was it from taking care of aparent, a grandparent, a family
member, or you've just alwayshad this desire to serve?
Candice Adams (04:42):
Probably just always the desire to serve as a
child.
I remember telling my mom Iwanted to be a teacher, a
veterinarian or a nurse, and Idefinitely went the medical
route.
But, after working in the healthcare industry as a CNA, I met so
many families and patients thatreally touched my heart and made
(05:03):
me want to keep going.
John (05:05):
That's awesome.
Erin (05:06):
Yeah.
That, I feel that way when I gotinto caregiving too, I knew what
it was, but I wasn't reallysure.
And then when you haveconversations with family
members and you see howrewarding it is and they just,
their stories and what theyshare, it just calls to your
heart.
It's hard to walk away.
Candice Adams (05:24):
Definitely.
John (05:26):
how does the practice of a house call physician differ?
Yeah.
From a physician and say adoctor's office.
Candice Adams (05:32):
it's actually not a new type of service.
Back in the day, I'm sure ourolder population will remember
when the doctor used to come totheir home with their little
black bag.
So It, it's more like we'rebringing back the house call and
we may have different coloredbags now, but we still come to
you and it's not lucrative as,as it is as seeing a large
(05:57):
quantity of patients in a clinicsetting on a daily basis.
it's definitely a rewardingexperience.
And it's also, like you said,very beneficial for the patient.
We also are able to really focuson the patient in their own
environment.
We see so much more than youwould possibly see in those 15
(06:19):
minutes that you are with themin a clinic setting.
So house calls providers, it'seither doctors or nurse
practitioners and They justreally focus on it, enabling
that, access to care.
So for me, it's primary care,preventative maintenance and
management of chronicconditions.
(06:41):
it's just really nice to be ableto provide that service for
people who need it.
Erin (06:46):
And I'll attest to that too.
It was nice.
I remember when my dad was goingthrough something, it was nice
to call him big.
Okay.
I don't know what to do versusgoing to the ER room, sitting
there waiting four or fivehours, maybe for them to get
ahold of his primary care doctoror to figure out something that
was wrong.
we were able to get immediatehelp, within your timeframe and
(07:08):
help him help relieve some ofthat pain that he happened to be
going through at the time.
So definitely I and my familyknow the benefits for sure.
John (07:17):
Yeah, I can attest to that as well.
I think that, so many times weget into a cycle of, this, the
situation of where we go to thephysician's office and we have
to sit in the waiting room untilour dedicated time.
And hopefully, the doctor hasmade it through his patients and
is able to see us.
close to the time of ourappointment, a lot of times that
(07:38):
doesn't happen, but one, onething that, that I know is for
me, it's okay.
I am younger and I don't need asmuch care because I don't have
as many issues as, as somepeople do, but it's hard to
really look at all the needs ofthe patient if you only have 15
minutes to see him, becauseyou're cycling them through an
office where with a practicesuch as yours, You can really
(08:01):
get there inside theirenvironment, have a deeper
conversation, and really adhereto a plan or an approach that
will really satisfy their needs.
Erin (08:10):
I was going to say, that is what she was saying too,
right?
We see them in theirenvironment.
We see more than if you'reshowing up and they're
struggling.
We don't see more of the pictureto help.
Yeah,
Candice Adams (08:21):
we definitely just try to meet people like you
were saying, where they are, andwork together with their
families and their specialistsjust to take really good care of
people.
And for me, it's more abouthelping them to reach their own
personal healthcare goals.
John (08:36):
is,
Erin (08:37):
Have you, through the many patients that you see, what are
some of the other benefitsbesides some of the ones that
maybe we've mentioned thatyou've noticed?
Candice Adams (08:46):
A big benefit that I've seen is, has a lot to
do with medication compliance.
I've had so many times where wego in and see a patient who's
having difficulty taking theirmedications correctly or as
prescribed, but if they were tojust go into the doctor's
office, they would say, yes, I'mtaking my medications as they're
(09:08):
prescribed.
When you go into their home, youtake a look at all their
medications.
You have them, get them out.
You look at them all and oh,you're missing your blood
pressure medication, and maybethey haven't been taking it for
quite some time.
John (09:23):
Yeah,
Erin (09:23):
That's
John (09:24):
That makes sense.
And I've, and I've heard ofpeople going into homes to, even
home health companies thataren't, using a house call
provider for the patient, butthey'll go in there and they'll
see a lot of medications toothat have been expired or, cause
a lot of times those patientshave those medications out on a
shelf.
where they can see them becausethey feel comfortable.
(09:45):
if I need that medication again,I can see it.
But you have a, as a house callprovider or somebody that's very
aware of that can look at thosemedications and say, you
shouldn't be on these.
they're past their date.
you're no longer in need of thattype of medication or it
conflicts with this type.
And so I think it's, it's huge.
It's huge to be in theirenvironment and to give them
(10:07):
that support.
Candice Adams (10:08):
we also see a lot of care deficits if someone's
not taking care of themselves orhas a lack of food or is having
falls, just living in an unsafeenvironment, and we're able to
match them up with the resourcesthat would help them.
Erin (10:25):
also helps too, if they don't, if the mobility, if
they're having a harder timegetting out of their home to go
see a doctor, I feel like thatprevents some people sometimes,
maybe they don't have a way oftransportation or, wheelchair,
whatever their needs are.
It's just easier to be at home.
And some people have anxiety.
It's I don't want to leave myhome.
(10:46):
I'd rather sit here and be sickand be miserable than leave when
they don't have to be.
John (10:51):
Yeah.
Yeah.
For sure.
Candace, now, when it comes topeople that want to use a house
call service such as yours, isthere a specific age that they
can qualify for that benefit ordo, can anybody qualify?
Like for instance, Aaron and I,if we said, you know what, we
want you as our primaryphysician, we have insurance.
(11:12):
Can we contact you and use thatservice or do you have to be of
a certain age?
to get those services.
Candice Adams (11:19):
You don't have to be of a certain age.
I am an adult geriatricpractitioner, so I see patients,
that are 18 and up, or actuallyI could see 14 and up, but I
typically tend to look forpatients or prefer to focus on
patients who need, need me most.
if there's a deficit ordifficulty for them, or they
(11:40):
find it challenging, like yousaid, to get out of the home.
John (11:44):
Okay, great.
That's good to know.
Erin (11:47):
If I wanted to have a house call provider, how would I
go about finding one and whatare the kind of questions I
should ask to make sure, thatI'm finding someone that's
appropriate for what my needsmay be?
Candice Adams (11:58):
the process is.
Pretty simple.
You should interview, I think,anybody who's going to be taking
care of you long term, but ittypically starts with a call or
a referral from somebody in thecommunity who notices a need or
that an individual would benefitfrom having their PCP visit them
in their own home.
(12:20):
Sometimes it's a call from thepatient themselves that we
received, a family member, afriend, a nurse.
Or like you mentioned a homehealth agency working with them
on physical therapy or otherdisciplines, it might be a
hospital or rehab dischargeplanner that notices that they
would benefit from that or maybesomebody who just hasn't seen.
(12:43):
A PCP for many years becausethey've been healthy or just
have put it off.
Erin (12:49):
Can I Google online to search or is that not a
preferred method?
Candice Adams (12:55):
you can doctor Google anything really, but yes,
there are there are severalhouse calls providers in this
area.
John (13:05):
So usually it's best though, as a referral, because
as you said, there are a lot tochoose from, but there are a lot
that are better than others.
And, I know you personally, andI've worked with you personally,
and I highly recommend youwhenever anybody's looking for a
house call provider.
So as far as scheduling goes, alot of times we'll make like
Aaron and I'll make a doctor'sappointment, but it's a ways out
(13:28):
before we can get seen when itcomes to scheduling and the
availability for appointmentswith a house call physician such
as yourself or somebody on yourteam.
how long does the whole processtake from the phone call to
saying, okay, this is theinsurance I have to scheduling,
plan, having you come in and,and provide those services or
(13:50):
somebody in your team, how longdoes that whole process take?
Candice Adams (13:54):
The process can take anywhere from a few days to
a few weeks, depending on what'sgoing on with the patient.
If they are just getting out ofthe hospital and they need a
follow up within two weeks, wecan make that happen.
If there's something acute goingon with the patient, I will try
to get them in within a fewdays.
(14:15):
And my team's pretty good aboutmaking sure we get people seen
in a timely manner.
John (14:20):
That's great.
Erin (14:22):
I was going to say, can I go back to my question before?
When I'm interviewing for ahouse call provider, what are
specific questions you feel aresome of the better ones to ask?
would it be like credentials?
Would it be how many patients
Candice Adams (14:36):
Yeah, I think asking, what their specific
licensure is, and if you'relooking at taking care of a
geriatric patient, it's probablybest to go with a geriatric
provider.
And we, another question wedon't really ask often, like you
mentioned, is how many.
patients do you have or do yousee in a day?
(14:58):
Because you really want aprovider that's going to be able
to spend the quality time withyou to go over all of your
health care concerns.
John (15:07):
Oh, for sure.
I totally agree.
Now, is this service or is yourservice covered by insurance,
Medicare, Medicaid, some ofthese supplementals?
How does that all work?
Candice Adams (15:17):
Yes, we accept many different insurances.
both private pay and Medicareand Medicaid and our visits are
typically covered by yourinsurance just like they would
in a clinic visit.
Erin (15:32):
And if someone's not sure they just need to call their
insurance provider and say, Hey,this is what we're looking at
doing.
Do you guys cover?
Is that correct?
John (15:42):
Candice's team can do that, I think.
Correct, Candice?
They can just give you theirinsurance information and then
you can check authorization tosee if you can provide those
services.
Correct?
Candice Adams (15:53):
Yes, we definitely do a verification of
insurance prior to coming outand seeing the patient so that
we make sure that there iscoverage, but ultimately you
could always call the back ofyour card and ask your insurance
if they were if I'm in networkor our providers are in network.
Erin (16:11):
What, what kind of medical services do you guys provide, or
is a typical service from likeroutine checkups, chronic,
acute, what, and is there anylimitation to a situation where
a house call might not besuitable for somebody?
Candice Adams (16:28):
I'm glad you asked that question because,
yes, if a patient is having areally acute issue, having
trouble breathing, chest pain,those kind of things, they
should go to the ER to beevaluated, right?
But house calls can do so manythings in the home.
We provide primary care that'svery similar to going into a
(16:50):
clinic.
We focus, though, a lot onHealth maintenance and
prevention.
So you get a full exam.
We discuss all of your healthcare concerns and goals.
We can order tests in the homethat need to be done, like x
rays, ultrasounds.
Order lab work, everything inthe comfort of your own home and
(17:14):
we can make referrals.
we talked about before herewith, specialists, if we deem
that that's necessary or homehealth, physical therapy, if
someone's having.
falls or issues with mobility,
Erin (17:27):
I was going to say for the x rays, do they come to their
home and for labs, do they cometo their home?
Is that also a referral?
Like they would go to adifferent place to have that
done.
Candice Adams (17:37):
it's patient preference if you prefer to go
into a lab, we can send ordersthere, but we also have in home
labs and x rays.
Erin (17:46):
Wow.
That's cool.
John (17:48):
Yeah, that's, that's super, super great.
Erin (17:51):
I could have used that when I hurt my pinkie.
That would have been nice.
Can you come and help my pinkie?
Just kidding.
John (17:59):
when it comes to house calls, Aaron and I and, and our
company, Connect Empower, isreally trying to empower people
to become more proactive thanreactive.
So when they're starting to lookat, investigating your services
or the services of a house callphysician.
What are the things that theycan gather together so that they
(18:23):
can expedite things, informationthat you're going to be looking
for when they call you up andthey say, okay, we need this,
this, this.
I know it's probably not justinsurance information, but what
are some other documentationthat it would be good to have on
hand to give to you to.
to accept them.
Candice Adams (18:44):
Yeah, definitely.
We like to see if you haveaccess to your last primary care
visit, so that we get an idea ofthe patient, what's going on
with them, what, what has beengoing on with them.
We like all of the medications.
We like to make sure yourinsurance matches up with what
we accept, and I will email orhave my team email or just have
(19:11):
someone give them a new patientpacket.
And.
It allows the patient to putdown everything about their
history or any questions orconcerns that they have on, on
health care.
And then we can answer thosewhen we get a chance to go out
and see them.
Finally.
Erin (19:29):
I'm not very stable or my mind is not very clear and I
don't have someone to help meget my past medical records from
my previous doctor, do you guyshelp with that?
if I know the name and can getthat, can you get that from that
provider?
Candice Adams (19:46):
Yes, we just have them sign a release of record,
but we also work a lot.
As we have talked about with theelderly population, and
sometimes they are havingdifficulties with memory and
they might have a power ofattorney.
in place that can help collectthose records and sign any
needed patient consents.
John (20:08):
That's super great.
I think it's such an amazingservice.
you and I have talked before andI've always been such a huge
proponent of house calls,especially in busy areas like
Idaho.
it's become so busy and to, tomove here and then try to set up
your visits with a primary carephysician or somebody to take
over those needs.
(20:28):
sometimes there's a huge delayin that.
And, Me being younger, Erinbeing younger, we can really
advocate and we can hold out,but sometimes these people can't
or they shouldn't, but theyalmost are forced to because
they aren't aware of what's outthere anymore.
They're not aware that there'shouse call providers locally
that can accept you as a patientand respond so much faster.
(20:52):
So I think it's great.
Candice Adams (20:55):
yeah.
that's exactly correct.
They come here and they don'tknow what's available, but once
we see them and we get an ideaof what they're looking for,
what their needs are, we're ableto facilitate those references
or medication management orwhatever needs to happen to help
that person to remain safe andindependent in their own home,
(21:18):
age safely in place, right?
Erin (21:20):
Yeah.
When I owned a caregivingcompany, I remember one of my
biggest concerns was makingsure, the client was safe when
the caregiver came over.
And so we try to do a preintroduction with family or at
least I could have a contact orsome way so when we came to the
door, they felt safe lettingthat person in the home.
(21:41):
So I didn't know if there wasany procedures or different ways
to make the client feel safelike this is who is coming over,
right?
the code word to get in the door
John (21:51):
a badge, badge
Erin (21:53):
or yeah.
Candice Adams (21:55):
I've never had a code word, but
Erin (21:57):
butter.
Peanut
John (22:00):
Peanut butter.
Peanut butter.
Yeah.
Erin (22:02):
what is the protocol or do you feel that there's any safety
measures that are taking placewhen people come to the home
just so they feel safe ifthere's a stranger?
Candice Adams (22:11):
we always call first and if it's a patient
that's going to have a possibleissue with dementia or feeling a
little anxiety over that initialvisit, we'll ask for a, POA or a
family member to be present andmake sure that they can help
that person to answer all thequestions that we need to ask in
(22:33):
order to take great care ofthem.
And as an adult geriatricspecialist, I'm used to dealing
with, and I help people withdementia and with those related
problems.
John (22:44):
Do you have situations where, you'll take on a new
account, not realizing or a newpatient not realizing that they
have some dogs in the house thatmaybe aren't used to,
socialization so it can create alittle bit of conflict with your
team?
Candice Adams (23:00):
We're all dog people around here.
We love dogs.
So I have two beautiful goldenretrievers and I think other
dogs smell other dogs, so they,they usually let us in without a
problem, but we always, we, wedo ask people to, if they do
have aggressive dogs or dogsthat might be come frightened by
(23:22):
a new visitor to put them awayduring our visit, that way
everyone's safe.
Erin (23:27):
dogs are, I think are a little bit more friendlier than
cats.
I'm just kidding.
I'm going to get myself introuble with
John (23:32):
one.
Dogs are usually a lotfriendlier than people too
sometimes.
Erin (23:36):
so true.
If there happens to be anemergency, say in the evening or
the weekends, how does someoneget ahold of you?
Because we know where there'snormal business hours when you
go to the doctors, but when youprovide that home care, is that
the same thing?
Is that nine to five, eight tofive or weekend and evening
hours and emergencies?
Candice Adams (23:58):
So great question.
Our typical visits are Mondaythrough Friday during business
hours, but we also offer urgentcare visits for acute care
conditions like urinary tractinfections, respiratory or ear
or sinus infections.
And if somebody is having anexacerbation of their chronic
(24:21):
illnesses.
We can treat that as well overthe phone or, but we have a
provider, an actual nursepractitioner that you can talk
to 24
Erin (24:33):
That's cool.
John (24:34):
Now, with your team and other house call providers that
you might be aware of, what isthe typical, like, when you're
getting up there and you'remaybe 60, 70 years old or
something like that?
Is there a rotation where yousee them or check in on them?
Or is there some follow upwhere?
where you're going through andthere's a plan of care that
develops, okay, I'm going tocall you in two weeks or I'm
(24:55):
going to call you once a month.
Then we're going to check in onyou.
I know sometimes it's like aroutine.
yeah.
Routine.
is there some sort of thing thatyou guys do like that?
Or is that just based on theneed and then they just call and
set up the appointment?
Candice Adams (25:07):
It's basically a patient driven schedule.
So depending on the acuity ofthe patient, we see them every
one to six months.
So some patients I see monthly.
Some patients I see every threeto six months, and some people
we just see once a year for anannual, but typically, for older
(25:29):
patients, it's good to see thembetween one and three months, so
you can keep a good eye onwhat's going on.
John (25:34):
That's great.
Erin (25:35):
know.
I love that.
John (25:37):
Yeah.
And then you'll help people ifmaybe they don't have a POA set
up.
And maybe their family lives outof state, you will help that
communication, right?
So you're updating the family ontheir loved one, or somebody of
your team is updating.
of attorney.
Yeah, the power of attorney.
so for instance, my parents livein California, they have a ranch
(25:57):
there.
And so if they have a house callprovider or a team they're
working with, we would loveupdates just to make sure we
know what's going on.
If there's anything they need,we can be part of that process.
Does your team do that as well?
Yeah.
Candice Adams (26:10):
Yes, we actually love family involvement and
support, and so we'll keep intouch with family as long as the
patient has said that's okay, orthere's a power of attorney in
place, like you said, and we'lltalk to those family members
periodically based on whatever'sgoing on with the patient and
provide updates as requested.
John (26:33):
Perfect.
Now our company is nationwide.
Do you know of, or are you awareof house call, house calls being
provided throughout the U.
S.
or is it just on the West Coastor do you, do you have any idea
how, how it's doing?
Candice Adams (26:52):
I think it's doing fairly well.
It's becoming more the norm forolder people to age in place
safely to have a primary careprovider.
I think that visits them intheir own home.
I, I think it's more and morepopular as the years go by.
John (27:09):
Perfect.
Erin (27:10):
I love the idea, cause I figured by the time I drive to
the doctor's and you sit thereand you wait and it's man, I'd
rather be in my home and notdriving the crazy roads,
John (27:19):
you
Erin (27:20):
know, and weather and dealing with parking and getting
all that done when I know, okay.
I can sit here.
I know they're going to come tomy door.
They're going to have greatservice.
I'm going to get seen for what Ineed.
I'm going to get that qualitytime.
John (27:34):
Yeah.
I also know that as thepopulation grows and the density
grows in some areas.
I, my primary physician, I usedto see him and he would take
time with me.
It wasn't 15 minutes.
He would sit down and we'd havea discussion and we'd talk about
a lot of different things and hewould come up with solutions
that I needed.
But as time has gone on and theTreasure Valley has become
(27:56):
bigger, busier and busier, hehas less and less time.
And I know for.
certain populations, it's betterto still be able to have that
time.
So I love what you do.
I love, I'm a huge advocate ofhouse calls and we, we want to
ask you, Candace, you know, yourbusiness better than anyone,
(28:16):
including us.
And we're so excited to sharethis information, to the people
that are.
podcast, but is thereinformation that you'd like to
share that maybe we haven'tasked and maybe that we're
unaware of?
Because I know as apractitioner, you face all sorts
of different situations.
Candice Adams (28:35):
Well, everything that I do, I really love what I
do, and it really doesn't seemlike it's hard work, even though
we do work very hard for ourpatients every day, but we
really have fun doing it.
an example of, you mentionedspending extra time with
patients and especially with theelderly population.
(28:56):
one thing that we've implementedthis year is a care manager.
And so we will actually havethat care manager call most of
our patients every month just tocheck in and see how they're
doing emotionally andphysically.
And another thing we have ourpeople do is we always make sure
we ask them one interesting factabout their life.
(29:20):
So we like to find out somethinginteresting or something they're
proud of.
And I think it's, it's reallyimportant to, show that we
respect and appreciate ourpatients, our community partners
and everything and spend thatextra time just getting to know
one another.
John (29:38):
No, it's huge.
Aaron and I are always talkingabout the importance of
community and connection.
And how do you do that?
you have to be willing to gopast the minutiae and, and ask
deeper questions, personalquestions about each other so
that it becomes a conversation.
that deeper connection, thatsense of community.
So I love that you guys do that.
(29:59):
we're trying to really make amovement and to get more people
that are willing to do that too.
So that's just a personal touchthat I think sometimes gets lost
with certain companies, and Ilove that your company does
that, yeah.
That's awesome.
Erin (30:15):
I know I was waiting to see if you were going to jump in
on my party over
John (30:19):
I, I'm not, but, you know, she, one before Aaron asks, she
asks, us,
Erin (30:25):
going
John (30:27):
Hold on.
Aaron's going to ask a questionthat is more for us than anybody
else, because we love thisquestion, but a lot of people
have enjoyed listening to ittoo, but one of the things that,
that I'm looking on that Ihaven't asked in and I I'm just
curious about, because I'mgetting older and, and is there
any tips or advice that you canshare that, is it better to get
(30:50):
with a house call providersooner than later or what are
some tips and tricks that youthink people should really
consider?
and at what time should theystart making those decisions?
Candice Adams (31:02):
I think anytime that it is a challenge or a
difficult, a difficulty to getout of your home that you should
look into a house calls providerand.
I think people will know andfamilies will know when that
time comes.
People get really close to theirprimary care providers a lot, so
(31:23):
I try not to rush thattransition.
I do as well.
I get close to my patients, so Iunderstand that relationship and
I encourage people to do it whenthey're ready.
John (31:35):
Perfect.
Erin (31:36):
Well, you've said something and you get really
close to him.
as you get close to them and yousee the challenges, they become
like family members.
So how do you keep that emotionsometimes out of it?
Does that make sense?
Candice Adams (31:48):
It can be hard sometimes.
we're in the people business.
We, we believe in treatingpeople well, and I think, I
firmly really just believe ifyou're involved in healthcare in
any capacity for the rightreasons, everything will work
itself out.
So treat people right, andthings will happen, good things.
Erin (32:08):
Very true.
John (32:09):
love that.
Alright, you got the floor.
Erin (32:11):
All right.
you love this one.
It's my time.
We love to travel.
If our listeners didn't knowthat by now, we love to travel.
What is your favorite place thatyou have traveled to or that's
on your adventure list of placesyou want to go and do that you
can share with our listeners?
Candice Adams (32:31):
I love this question.
I love to travel also, and Iactually got the opportunity to
do one of my bucket listadventures recently.
we went backpacking and hiked alot of miles down into the Grand
Canyon and just camped alongsidethis beautiful lake.
It was just the most beautifulturquoise blue water and
(32:53):
waterfalls, so it was definitelya once in a lifetime experience.
It's on a lottery, so it doesn'thappen for everybody.
It was definitely something thatyou feel blessed to even be
there.
John (33:07):
Yeah.
Erin (33:07):
How many days was it?
Candice Adams (33:09):
We were there for three nights and we backpacked
everything in and everythingout.
So we were in tents and,swimming in the water and it was
a great time.
Erin (33:20):
That sounds like fun.
That's We'll have to get thatinformation from you, because
that would be
John (33:25):
I know you'd like to do.
Yeah, Yeah, I would definitelylove to do.
There's a, there's another placethat has a similar thing, a
lottery, that we've been tryingto do.
It's called The Wave.
I think it's in Arizona,correct?
Aaron, you've been signing upfor, yeah, for many years and we
haven't been able to hit thatlotto yet, but I'm so glad you
did.
And I'm so glad you were, youwere able to hit that, that on
(33:47):
your bucket list.
Yeah.
thank you so much.
we've loved having you and, andwe appreciate everything that
you do.
I can, I can highly advisepeople, to follow your tips and
tricks.
And really when you start havingsome mobility issues, really
look at that service that youprovide because, it can create a
(34:08):
lot of complications withfamilies and stuff when you
start becoming reliant on yourchildren to transport you to all
these medical appointments whenyou can have your provider come
right to you.
So thank you for all you do andthank you for your time today.
Candice Adams (34:24):
Thank you so much for having me.
It was great talking to both ofyou.
John (34:28):
Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Connect
Empower.
We want to express our gratitudeto you for being part of our
community, and we hope today'sepisode has provided you with
valuable insights andinspiration to enhance your life
and that of a loved one.
Erin (34:43):
We are more than just a podcast.
We are a community dedicated toenhancing the lives of our aging
adults and their support system.
We encourage you to visit ourwebsite now at www.
connect empower.
com.
Explore more information aboutour guests from today's episode
and to access our freeresources.
John (35:03):
resources.
Our mission doesn't end at theconclusion of this episode.
We invite you to take action nowby sharing the knowledge you've
gained today with someone whomay benefit from it.
Whether it's a family member,friend, or colleague, your
influence can spark positivechange.
Erin (35:18):
Remember, Subscribing to our podcast ensures you never
miss an episode and we have moreincredible guests and resources
in store for you.
So hit that subscribe button andstay connected with us.
Your commitment is the drivingforce behind our mission and
together we can create amovement for a brighter future
as we age.
John (35:39):
I'm John.
Erin (35:39):
I'm Erin.
Until next Wednesday.
This is almost too good to be true.
House calls.
Health care that comes to you.
That's right.
No more battling traffic to seethe doctor or sitting in waiting
rooms that feel like timecapsules.
We'll talk about how they'rechanging the game for us and our
parents, share some fantastictips on getting the best out of
their services, and maybe cracka few jokes about our own not so
(00:32):
young anymore moments.
Whether you're exploring optionsfor yourself or thinking about
mom and dad, We're just curiousabout the convenient twists in
health care.
You're in the right place.
(00:52):
I'm John.
Erin (00:53):
I'm Erin, and you're listening to Connect and Power,
the podcast that proves age isno barrier to growth and
enlightenment.
John (01:00):
Tune in each week as we break down complex subjects into
bite sized, enjoyable episodesthat will leave you feeling
informed, entertained, and readyto conquer the world.
Erin (01:15):
My family and I have a personal experience with our
guests today, helping my dad andall of us in our time of need.
I'm really excited to talk withher today as she shares with us
what house calls are.
who they serve and the benefitsand what type of medical
services can be provided and howto choose a house call provider.
She's a nurse practitioner andboard certified adult geriatric
(01:39):
specialist who has been in theindustry for over 25 years.
She started out as a caregiverand worked in a variety of
different healthcare settingsincluding home health, hospice,
assisted livings, rehab andorthopedics, and just to name a
few.
She lights up a room when sheenters and has such compassion
(01:59):
for all her patients.
John (02:01):
Get ready to unlock the door to personalized care,
convenience, and well being aswe warmly welcome our esteemed
house call provider, Dr.
Candice Adams.
Thank you so much for beinghere, Candice.
Candice Adams (02:15):
Thank you so much for having me.
That was such a warm welcome.
I really appreciate all the kindwords.
everything you said, yes, I'vehad a long history in the
healthcare field, but my heartwas definitely touched by
healthcare and the idea ofcaring for other people at a
very young age.
like you mentioned, I did startout here locally as a CNA,
(02:38):
that's a certified nursingassistant, and provided really
just hands on personal care forthe geriatric population.
I then moved to California whereI attended a vocational school
and became an LVN and workedthere as a traveler in many of
those settings that youmentioned.
(02:59):
when I moved back here to Boise,though, there weren't a lot of
opportunities for LVNs at thattime.
So that's when I decided to goback to school.
John (03:09):
What is a LVN?
I'm not, is that a licensedvocational nurse?
Candice Adams (03:15):
Yes, so that's a licensed vocational nurse.
And then at the issue, I wasable to obtain my, which is a
registered nurse.
Erin (03:24):
Have they gotten rid of those?
Because I thought somewherealong the line, they're going to
slowly start phasing those TheLVNs.
Candice Adams (03:32):
There are still quite a few LVNs practicing in
different settings, but I was aperpetual student.
I decided to, after the RN, goback and get my DNP.
Erin (03:45):
Oh my gosh.
That's a lot of school.
Good for you.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
I thought about I don't know ifI ever shared with you my own
nursing.
I went and sat at Oh, what's thecollege on California now?
It doesn't matter.
It was UCLA.
I ran into there and sat in andthought about getting my
master's in nursing and theywent through everything.
(04:07):
And I remember my younger twokids, they were in their junior
and senior year of high schooland they're like, you will never
see anybody.
You will be here literally fortwo years.
So that kind of turned me awayfor a second.
Part of the time I was like, Oh,I should have done it.
Candice Adams (04:23):
Yeah, definitely a lot of schooling.
My kids and my husband weredefinitely happy when it was all
over.
Erin (04:29):
Oh, I bet.
How did you get in the industry?
What was like your full circleor story?
Was it from taking care of aparent, a grandparent, a family
member, or you've just alwayshad this desire to serve?
Candice Adams (04:42):
Probably just always the desire to serve as a
child.
I remember telling my mom Iwanted to be a teacher, a
veterinarian or a nurse, and Idefinitely went the medical
route.
But, after working in the healthcare industry as a CNA, I met so
many families and patients thatreally touched my heart and made
(05:03):
me want to keep going.
John (05:05):
That's awesome.
Erin (05:06):
Yeah.
That, I feel that way when I gotinto caregiving too, I knew what
it was, but I wasn't reallysure.
And then when you haveconversations with family
members and you see howrewarding it is and they just,
their stories and what theyshare, it just calls to your
heart.
It's hard to walk away.
Candice Adams (05:24):
Definitely.
John (05:26):
how does the practice of a house call physician differ?
Yeah.
From a physician and say adoctor's office.
Candice Adams (05:32):
it's actually not a new type of service.
Back in the day, I'm sure ourolder population will remember
when the doctor used to come totheir home with their little
black bag.
So It, it's more like we'rebringing back the house call and
we may have different coloredbags now, but we still come to
you and it's not lucrative as,as it is as seeing a large
(05:57):
quantity of patients in a clinicsetting on a daily basis.
it's definitely a rewardingexperience.
And it's also, like you said,very beneficial for the patient.
We also are able to really focuson the patient in their own
environment.
We see so much more than youwould possibly see in those 15
(06:19):
minutes that you are with themin a clinic setting.
So house calls providers, it'seither doctors or nurse
practitioners and They justreally focus on it, enabling
that, access to care.
So for me, it's primary care,preventative maintenance and
management of chronicconditions.
(06:41):
it's just really nice to be ableto provide that service for
people who need it.
Erin (06:46):
And I'll attest to that too.
It was nice.
I remember when my dad was goingthrough something, it was nice
to call him big.
Okay.
I don't know what to do versusgoing to the ER room, sitting
there waiting four or fivehours, maybe for them to get
ahold of his primary care doctoror to figure out something that
was wrong.
we were able to get immediatehelp, within your timeframe and
(07:08):
help him help relieve some ofthat pain that he happened to be
going through at the time.
So definitely I and my familyknow the benefits for sure.
John (07:17):
Yeah, I can attest to that as well.
I think that, so many times weget into a cycle of, this, the
situation of where we go to thephysician's office and we have
to sit in the waiting room untilour dedicated time.
And hopefully, the doctor hasmade it through his patients and
is able to see us.
close to the time of ourappointment, a lot of times that
(07:38):
doesn't happen, but one, onething that, that I know is for
me, it's okay.
I am younger and I don't need asmuch care because I don't have
as many issues as, as somepeople do, but it's hard to
really look at all the needs ofthe patient if you only have 15
minutes to see him, becauseyou're cycling them through an
office where with a practicesuch as yours, You can really
(08:01):
get there inside theirenvironment, have a deeper
conversation, and really adhereto a plan or an approach that
will really satisfy their needs.
Erin (08:10):
I was going to say, that is what she was saying too,
right?
We see them in theirenvironment.
We see more than if you'reshowing up and they're
struggling.
We don't see more of the pictureto help.
Yeah,
Candice Adams (08:21):
we definitely just try to meet people like you
were saying, where they are, andwork together with their
families and their specialistsjust to take really good care of
people.
And for me, it's more abouthelping them to reach their own
personal healthcare goals.
John (08:36):
is,
Erin (08:37):
Have you, through the many patients that you see, what are
some of the other benefitsbesides some of the ones that
maybe we've mentioned thatyou've noticed?
Candice Adams (08:46):
A big benefit that I've seen is, has a lot to
do with medication compliance.
I've had so many times where wego in and see a patient who's
having difficulty taking theirmedications correctly or as
prescribed, but if they were tojust go into the doctor's
office, they would say, yes, I'mtaking my medications as they're
(09:08):
prescribed.
When you go into their home, youtake a look at all their
medications.
You have them, get them out.
You look at them all and oh,you're missing your blood
pressure medication, and maybethey haven't been taking it for
quite some time.
John (09:23):
Yeah,
Erin (09:23):
That's
John (09:24):
That makes sense.
And I've, and I've heard ofpeople going into homes to, even
home health companies thataren't, using a house call
provider for the patient, butthey'll go in there and they'll
see a lot of medications toothat have been expired or, cause
a lot of times those patientshave those medications out on a
shelf.
where they can see them becausethey feel comfortable.
(09:45):
if I need that medication again,I can see it.
But you have a, as a house callprovider or somebody that's very
aware of that can look at thosemedications and say, you
shouldn't be on these.
they're past their date.
you're no longer in need of thattype of medication or it
conflicts with this type.
And so I think it's, it's huge.
It's huge to be in theirenvironment and to give them
(10:07):
that support.
Candice Adams (10:08):
we also see a lot of care deficits if someone's
not taking care of themselves orhas a lack of food or is having
falls, just living in an unsafeenvironment, and we're able to
match them up with the resourcesthat would help them.
Erin (10:25):
also helps too, if they don't, if the mobility, if
they're having a harder timegetting out of their home to go
see a doctor, I feel like thatprevents some people sometimes,
maybe they don't have a way oftransportation or, wheelchair,
whatever their needs are.
It's just easier to be at home.
And some people have anxiety.
It's I don't want to leave myhome.
(10:46):
I'd rather sit here and be sickand be miserable than leave when
they don't have to be.
John (10:51):
Yeah.
Yeah.
For sure.
Candace, now, when it comes topeople that want to use a house
call service such as yours, isthere a specific age that they
can qualify for that benefit ordo, can anybody qualify?
Like for instance, Aaron and I,if we said, you know what, we
want you as our primaryphysician, we have insurance.
(11:12):
Can we contact you and use thatservice or do you have to be of
a certain age?
to get those services.
Candice Adams (11:19):
You don't have to be of a certain age.
I am an adult geriatricpractitioner, so I see patients,
that are 18 and up, or actuallyI could see 14 and up, but I
typically tend to look forpatients or prefer to focus on
patients who need, need me most.
if there's a deficit ordifficulty for them, or they
(11:40):
find it challenging, like yousaid, to get out of the home.
John (11:44):
Okay, great.
That's good to know.
Erin (11:47):
If I wanted to have a house call provider, how would I
go about finding one and whatare the kind of questions I
should ask to make sure, thatI'm finding someone that's
appropriate for what my needsmay be?
Candice Adams (11:58):
the process is.
Pretty simple.
You should interview, I think,anybody who's going to be taking
care of you long term, but ittypically starts with a call or
a referral from somebody in thecommunity who notices a need or
that an individual would benefitfrom having their PCP visit them
in their own home.
(12:20):
Sometimes it's a call from thepatient themselves that we
received, a family member, afriend, a nurse.
Or like you mentioned a homehealth agency working with them
on physical therapy or otherdisciplines, it might be a
hospital or rehab dischargeplanner that notices that they
would benefit from that or maybesomebody who just hasn't seen.
(12:43):
A PCP for many years becausethey've been healthy or just
have put it off.
Erin (12:49):
Can I Google online to search or is that not a
preferred method?
Candice Adams (12:55):
you can doctor Google anything really, but yes,
there are there are severalhouse calls providers in this
area.
John (13:05):
So usually it's best though, as a referral, because
as you said, there are a lot tochoose from, but there are a lot
that are better than others.
And, I know you personally, andI've worked with you personally,
and I highly recommend youwhenever anybody's looking for a
house call provider.
So as far as scheduling goes, alot of times we'll make like
Aaron and I'll make a doctor'sappointment, but it's a ways out
(13:28):
before we can get seen when itcomes to scheduling and the
availability for appointmentswith a house call physician such
as yourself or somebody on yourteam.
how long does the whole processtake from the phone call to
saying, okay, this is theinsurance I have to scheduling,
plan, having you come in and,and provide those services or
(13:50):
somebody in your team, how longdoes that whole process take?
Candice Adams (13:54):
The process can take anywhere from a few days to
a few weeks, depending on what'sgoing on with the patient.
If they are just getting out ofthe hospital and they need a
follow up within two weeks, wecan make that happen.
If there's something acute goingon with the patient, I will try
to get them in within a fewdays.
(14:15):
And my team's pretty good aboutmaking sure we get people seen
in a timely manner.
John (14:20):
That's great.
Erin (14:22):
I was going to say, can I go back to my question before?
When I'm interviewing for ahouse call provider, what are
specific questions you feel aresome of the better ones to ask?
would it be like credentials?
Would it be how many patients
Candice Adams (14:36):
Yeah, I think asking, what their specific
licensure is, and if you'relooking at taking care of a
geriatric patient, it's probablybest to go with a geriatric
provider.
And we, another question wedon't really ask often, like you
mentioned, is how many.
patients do you have or do yousee in a day?
(14:58):
Because you really want aprovider that's going to be able
to spend the quality time withyou to go over all of your
health care concerns.
John (15:07):
Oh, for sure.
I totally agree.
Now, is this service or is yourservice covered by insurance,
Medicare, Medicaid, some ofthese supplementals?
How does that all work?
Candice Adams (15:17):
Yes, we accept many different insurances.
both private pay and Medicareand Medicaid and our visits are
typically covered by yourinsurance just like they would
in a clinic visit.
Erin (15:32):
And if someone's not sure they just need to call their
insurance provider and say, Hey,this is what we're looking at
doing.
Do you guys cover?
Is that correct?
John (15:42):
Candice's team can do that, I think.
Correct, Candice?
They can just give you theirinsurance information and then
you can check authorization tosee if you can provide those
services.
Correct?
Candice Adams (15:53):
Yes, we definitely do a verification of
insurance prior to coming outand seeing the patient so that
we make sure that there iscoverage, but ultimately you
could always call the back ofyour card and ask your insurance
if they were if I'm in networkor our providers are in network.
Erin (16:11):
What, what kind of medical services do you guys provide, or
is a typical service from likeroutine checkups, chronic,
acute, what, and is there anylimitation to a situation where
a house call might not besuitable for somebody?
Candice Adams (16:28):
I'm glad you asked that question because,
yes, if a patient is having areally acute issue, having
trouble breathing, chest pain,those kind of things, they
should go to the ER to beevaluated, right?
But house calls can do so manythings in the home.
We provide primary care that'svery similar to going into a
(16:50):
clinic.
We focus, though, a lot onHealth maintenance and
prevention.
So you get a full exam.
We discuss all of your healthcare concerns and goals.
We can order tests in the homethat need to be done, like x
rays, ultrasounds.
Order lab work, everything inthe comfort of your own home and
(17:14):
we can make referrals.
we talked about before herewith, specialists, if we deem
that that's necessary or homehealth, physical therapy, if
someone's having.
falls or issues with mobility,
Erin (17:27):
I was going to say for the x rays, do they come to their
home and for labs, do they cometo their home?
Is that also a referral?
Like they would go to adifferent place to have that
done.
Candice Adams (17:37):
it's patient preference if you prefer to go
into a lab, we can send ordersthere, but we also have in home
labs and x rays.
Erin (17:46):
Wow.
That's cool.
John (17:48):
Yeah, that's, that's super, super great.
Erin (17:51):
I could have used that when I hurt my pinkie.
That would have been nice.
Can you come and help my pinkie?
Just kidding.
John (17:59):
when it comes to house calls, Aaron and I and, and our
company, Connect Empower, isreally trying to empower people
to become more proactive thanreactive.
So when they're starting to lookat, investigating your services
or the services of a house callphysician.
What are the things that theycan gather together so that they
(18:23):
can expedite things, informationthat you're going to be looking
for when they call you up andthey say, okay, we need this,
this, this.
I know it's probably not justinsurance information, but what
are some other documentationthat it would be good to have on
hand to give to you to.
to accept them.
Candice Adams (18:44):
Yeah, definitely.
We like to see if you haveaccess to your last primary care
visit, so that we get an idea ofthe patient, what's going on
with them, what, what has beengoing on with them.
We like all of the medications.
We like to make sure yourinsurance matches up with what
we accept, and I will email orhave my team email or just have
(19:11):
someone give them a new patientpacket.
And.
It allows the patient to putdown everything about their
history or any questions orconcerns that they have on, on
health care.
And then we can answer thosewhen we get a chance to go out
and see them.
Finally.
Erin (19:29):
I'm not very stable or my mind is not very clear and I
don't have someone to help meget my past medical records from
my previous doctor, do you guyshelp with that?
if I know the name and can getthat, can you get that from that
provider?
Candice Adams (19:46):
Yes, we just have them sign a release of record,
but we also work a lot.
As we have talked about with theelderly population, and
sometimes they are havingdifficulties with memory and
they might have a power ofattorney.
in place that can help collectthose records and sign any
needed patient consents.
John (20:08):
That's super great.
I think it's such an amazingservice.
you and I have talked before andI've always been such a huge
proponent of house calls,especially in busy areas like
Idaho.
it's become so busy and to, tomove here and then try to set up
your visits with a primary carephysician or somebody to take
over those needs.
(20:28):
sometimes there's a huge delayin that.
And, Me being younger, Erinbeing younger, we can really
advocate and we can hold out,but sometimes these people can't
or they shouldn't, but theyalmost are forced to because
they aren't aware of what's outthere anymore.
They're not aware that there'shouse call providers locally
that can accept you as a patientand respond so much faster.
(20:52):
So I think it's great.
Candice Adams (20:55):
yeah.
that's exactly correct.
They come here and they don'tknow what's available, but once
we see them and we get an ideaof what they're looking for,
what their needs are, we're ableto facilitate those references
or medication management orwhatever needs to happen to help
that person to remain safe andindependent in their own home,
(21:18):
age safely in place, right?
Erin (21:20):
Yeah.
When I owned a caregivingcompany, I remember one of my
biggest concerns was makingsure, the client was safe when
the caregiver came over.
And so we try to do a preintroduction with family or at
least I could have a contact orsome way so when we came to the
door, they felt safe lettingthat person in the home.
(21:41):
So I didn't know if there wasany procedures or different ways
to make the client feel safelike this is who is coming over,
right?
the code word to get in the door
John (21:51):
a badge, badge
Erin (21:53):
or yeah.
Candice Adams (21:55):
I've never had a code word, but
Erin (21:57):
butter.
Peanut
John (22:00):
Peanut butter.
Peanut butter.
Yeah.
Erin (22:02):
what is the protocol or do you feel that there's any safety
measures that are taking placewhen people come to the home
just so they feel safe ifthere's a stranger?
Candice Adams (22:11):
we always call first and if it's a patient
that's going to have a possibleissue with dementia or feeling a
little anxiety over that initialvisit, we'll ask for a, POA or a
family member to be present andmake sure that they can help
that person to answer all thequestions that we need to ask in
(22:33):
order to take great care ofthem.
And as an adult geriatricspecialist, I'm used to dealing
with, and I help people withdementia and with those related
problems.
John (22:44):
Do you have situations where, you'll take on a new
account, not realizing or a newpatient not realizing that they
have some dogs in the house thatmaybe aren't used to,
socialization so it can create alittle bit of conflict with your
team?
Candice Adams (23:00):
We're all dog people around here.
We love dogs.
So I have two beautiful goldenretrievers and I think other
dogs smell other dogs, so they,they usually let us in without a
problem, but we always, we, wedo ask people to, if they do
have aggressive dogs or dogsthat might be come frightened by
(23:22):
a new visitor to put them awayduring our visit, that way
everyone's safe.
Erin (23:27):
dogs are, I think are a little bit more friendlier than
cats.
I'm just kidding.
I'm going to get myself introuble with
John (23:32):
one.
Dogs are usually a lotfriendlier than people too
sometimes.
Erin (23:36):
so true.
If there happens to be anemergency, say in the evening or
the weekends, how does someoneget ahold of you?
Because we know where there'snormal business hours when you
go to the doctors, but when youprovide that home care, is that
the same thing?
Is that nine to five, eight tofive or weekend and evening
hours and emergencies?
Candice Adams (23:58):
So great question.
Our typical visits are Mondaythrough Friday during business
hours, but we also offer urgentcare visits for acute care
conditions like urinary tractinfections, respiratory or ear
or sinus infections.
And if somebody is having anexacerbation of their chronic
(24:21):
illnesses.
We can treat that as well overthe phone or, but we have a
provider, an actual nursepractitioner that you can talk
to 24
Erin (24:33):
That's cool.
John (24:34):
Now, with your team and other house call providers that
you might be aware of, what isthe typical, like, when you're
getting up there and you'remaybe 60, 70 years old or
something like that?
Is there a rotation where yousee them or check in on them?
Or is there some follow upwhere?
where you're going through andthere's a plan of care that
develops, okay, I'm going tocall you in two weeks or I'm
(24:55):
going to call you once a month.
Then we're going to check in onyou.
I know sometimes it's like aroutine.
yeah.
Routine.
is there some sort of thing thatyou guys do like that?
Or is that just based on theneed and then they just call and
set up the appointment?
Candice Adams (25:07):
It's basically a patient driven schedule.
So depending on the acuity ofthe patient, we see them every
one to six months.
So some patients I see monthly.
Some patients I see every threeto six months, and some people
we just see once a year for anannual, but typically, for older
(25:29):
patients, it's good to see thembetween one and three months, so
you can keep a good eye onwhat's going on.
John (25:34):
That's great.
Erin (25:35):
know.
I love that.
John (25:37):
Yeah.
And then you'll help people ifmaybe they don't have a POA set
up.
And maybe their family lives outof state, you will help that
communication, right?
So you're updating the family ontheir loved one, or somebody of
your team is updating.
of attorney.
Yeah, the power of attorney.
so for instance, my parents livein California, they have a ranch
(25:57):
there.
And so if they have a house callprovider or a team they're
working with, we would loveupdates just to make sure we
know what's going on.
If there's anything they need,we can be part of that process.
Does your team do that as well?
Yeah.
Candice Adams (26:10):
Yes, we actually love family involvement and
support, and so we'll keep intouch with family as long as the
patient has said that's okay, orthere's a power of attorney in
place, like you said, and we'lltalk to those family members
periodically based on whatever'sgoing on with the patient and
provide updates as requested.
John (26:33):
Perfect.
Now our company is nationwide.
Do you know of, or are you awareof house call, house calls being
provided throughout the U.
S.
or is it just on the West Coastor do you, do you have any idea
how, how it's doing?
Candice Adams (26:52):
I think it's doing fairly well.
It's becoming more the norm forolder people to age in place
safely to have a primary careprovider.
I think that visits them intheir own home.
I, I think it's more and morepopular as the years go by.
John (27:09):
Perfect.
Erin (27:10):
I love the idea, cause I figured by the time I drive to
the doctor's and you sit thereand you wait and it's man, I'd
rather be in my home and notdriving the crazy roads,
John (27:19):
you
Erin (27:20):
know, and weather and dealing with parking and getting
all that done when I know, okay.
I can sit here.
I know they're going to come tomy door.
They're going to have greatservice.
I'm going to get seen for what Ineed.
I'm going to get that qualitytime.
John (27:34):
Yeah.
I also know that as thepopulation grows and the density
grows in some areas.
I, my primary physician, I usedto see him and he would take
time with me.
It wasn't 15 minutes.
He would sit down and we'd havea discussion and we'd talk about
a lot of different things and hewould come up with solutions
that I needed.
But as time has gone on and theTreasure Valley has become
(27:56):
bigger, busier and busier, hehas less and less time.
And I know for.
certain populations, it's betterto still be able to have that
time.
So I love what you do.
I love, I'm a huge advocate ofhouse calls and we, we want to
ask you, Candace, you know, yourbusiness better than anyone,
(28:16):
including us.
And we're so excited to sharethis information, to the people
that are.
podcast, but is thereinformation that you'd like to
share that maybe we haven'tasked and maybe that we're
unaware of?
Because I know as apractitioner, you face all sorts
of different situations.
Candice Adams (28:35):
Well, everything that I do, I really love what I
do, and it really doesn't seemlike it's hard work, even though
we do work very hard for ourpatients every day, but we
really have fun doing it.
an example of, you mentionedspending extra time with
patients and especially with theelderly population.
(28:56):
one thing that we've implementedthis year is a care manager.
And so we will actually havethat care manager call most of
our patients every month just tocheck in and see how they're
doing emotionally andphysically.
And another thing we have ourpeople do is we always make sure
we ask them one interesting factabout their life.
(29:20):
So we like to find out somethinginteresting or something they're
proud of.
And I think it's, it's reallyimportant to, show that we
respect and appreciate ourpatients, our community partners
and everything and spend thatextra time just getting to know
one another.
John (29:38):
No, it's huge.
Aaron and I are always talkingabout the importance of
community and connection.
And how do you do that?
you have to be willing to gopast the minutiae and, and ask
deeper questions, personalquestions about each other so
that it becomes a conversation.
that deeper connection, thatsense of community.
So I love that you guys do that.
(29:59):
we're trying to really make amovement and to get more people
that are willing to do that too.
So that's just a personal touchthat I think sometimes gets lost
with certain companies, and Ilove that your company does
that, yeah.
That's awesome.
Erin (30:15):
I know I was waiting to see if you were going to jump in
on my party over
John (30:19):
I, I'm not, but, you know, she, one before Aaron asks, she
asks, us,
Erin (30:25):
going
John (30:27):
Hold on.
Aaron's going to ask a questionthat is more for us than anybody
else, because we love thisquestion, but a lot of people
have enjoyed listening to ittoo, but one of the things that,
that I'm looking on that Ihaven't asked in and I I'm just
curious about, because I'mgetting older and, and is there
any tips or advice that you canshare that, is it better to get
(30:50):
with a house call providersooner than later or what are
some tips and tricks that youthink people should really
consider?
and at what time should theystart making those decisions?
Candice Adams (31:02):
I think anytime that it is a challenge or a
difficult, a difficulty to getout of your home that you should
look into a house calls providerand.
I think people will know andfamilies will know when that
time comes.
People get really close to theirprimary care providers a lot, so
(31:23):
I try not to rush thattransition.
I do as well.
I get close to my patients, so Iunderstand that relationship and
I encourage people to do it whenthey're ready.
John (31:35):
Perfect.
Erin (31:36):
Well, you've said something and you get really
close to him.
as you get close to them and yousee the challenges, they become
like family members.
So how do you keep that emotionsometimes out of it?
Does that make sense?
Candice Adams (31:48):
It can be hard sometimes.
we're in the people business.
We, we believe in treatingpeople well, and I think, I
firmly really just believe ifyou're involved in healthcare in
any capacity for the rightreasons, everything will work
itself out.
So treat people right, andthings will happen, good things.
Erin (32:08):
Very true.
John (32:09):
love that.
Alright, you got the floor.
Erin (32:11):
All right.
you love this one.
It's my time.
We love to travel.
If our listeners didn't knowthat by now, we love to travel.
What is your favorite place thatyou have traveled to or that's
on your adventure list of placesyou want to go and do that you
can share with our listeners?
Candice Adams (32:31):
I love this question.
I love to travel also, and Iactually got the opportunity to
do one of my bucket listadventures recently.
we went backpacking and hiked alot of miles down into the Grand
Canyon and just camped alongsidethis beautiful lake.
It was just the most beautifulturquoise blue water and
(32:53):
waterfalls, so it was definitelya once in a lifetime experience.
It's on a lottery, so it doesn'thappen for everybody.
It was definitely something thatyou feel blessed to even be
there.
John (33:07):
Yeah.
Erin (33:07):
How many days was it?
Candice Adams (33:09):
We were there for three nights and we backpacked
everything in and everythingout.
So we were in tents and,swimming in the water and it was
a great time.
Erin (33:20):
That sounds like fun.
That's We'll have to get thatinformation from you, because
that would be
John (33:25):
I know you'd like to do.
Yeah, Yeah, I would definitelylove to do.
There's a, there's another placethat has a similar thing, a
lottery, that we've been tryingto do.
It's called The Wave.
I think it's in Arizona,correct?
Aaron, you've been signing upfor, yeah, for many years and we
haven't been able to hit thatlotto yet, but I'm so glad you
did.
And I'm so glad you were, youwere able to hit that, that on
(33:47):
your bucket list.
Yeah.
thank you so much.
we've loved having you and, andwe appreciate everything that
you do.
I can, I can highly advisepeople, to follow your tips and
tricks.
And really when you start havingsome mobility issues, really
look at that service that youprovide because, it can create a
(34:08):
lot of complications withfamilies and stuff when you
start becoming reliant on yourchildren to transport you to all
these medical appointments whenyou can have your provider come
right to you.
So thank you for all you do andthank you for your time today.
Candice Adams (34:24):
Thank you so much for having me.
It was great talking to both ofyou.
John (34:28):
Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Connect
Empower.
We want to express our gratitudeto you for being part of our
community, and we hope today'sepisode has provided you with
valuable insights andinspiration to enhance your life
and that of a loved one.
Erin (34:43):
We are more than just a podcast.
We are a community dedicated toenhancing the lives of our aging
adults and their support system.
We encourage you to visit ourwebsite now at www.
connect empower.
com.
Explore more information aboutour guests from today's episode
and to access our freeresources.
John (35:03):
resources.
Our mission doesn't end at theconclusion of this episode.
We invite you to take action nowby sharing the knowledge you've
gained today with someone whomay benefit from it.
Whether it's a family member,friend, or colleague, your
influence can spark positivechange.
Erin (35:18):
Remember, Subscribing to our podcast ensures you never
miss an episode and we have moreincredible guests and resources
in store for you.
So hit that subscribe button andstay connected with us.
Your commitment is the drivingforce behind our mission and
together we can create amovement for a brighter future
as we age.
John (35:39):
I'm John.
Erin (35:39):
I'm Erin.
Until next Wednesday.
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