| Home health care in Princeton |
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By Lindsy Arrowood Imagine getting up in the morning, making your son breakfast and then leaving him in the care of someone else as you head off to work for the day. Many parents do it. But not all parents have a child with a terminal illness. Benjamin Wempner suffers from Batten’s Disease, a disorder of the nervous system. Early symptoms include vision problems and/or seizures as well as personality and behavior changes, slow learning and clumsiness or stumbling. As time passes children with this disease suffer mental impairment, worsening seizures, and progressive loss of sight and motor skills. They will become totally disabled and eventually die. Ben will be six years old later this month and this disease will probably kill him. Health care options for a terminally ill child in Princeton are not plentiful. Brandy Wempner, Ben’s mother, could have placed her son in a group home, a foster care service or a hospice program. Instead she found a home health care service dedicated to the lives of the patients and their families. In the Princeton area the two most prevalent home health care providers are Fairview and Accurate Home Care. Ben is a client of Accurate Home Care, a company based out of Elk River that serves over 400 Minnesota families. Accurate Home Care caters to clients who have difficulties leaving home due to their conditions. They provide private duty nursing, available 24-7. Each nurse is carefully matched to their client. Ben has a nurse who comes to visit him, sometimes when Brandy is there and also when she is not. Brandy says it is a huge relief to have someone with him that cares about him, that she “still misses him” while she’s at work but she “doesn’t worry.” Ben’s nurse RoseAnne does not only provide the medical care necessary but also provides companionship. She spends time with Ben, watches cartoons and goes on outings with him. “We go to the library. Last week he said Walmart so we went to Walmart,” she said. Home health care makes life a little easier for parents of terminally ill children and helps the children to live better, more fulfilling lives. Even though Ben still suffers from Batten’s and as he grows older the disease progresses and symptoms worsen, he is able to enjoy the life he has thanks to the care of his nurse. He is able to be a little boy. Comments (0)
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