Housecaller
Michigan Visiting Care: Nurses bring the Michigan Difference to patients
Meghan Salter lies in her bed in a sunny room at the back of her Dearborn home. She is 5 years old with blond hair and pink cheeks. She’s also completely unable to move on her own because of an enigmatic neurological disorder.
That’s where Michigan Visiting Care comes in. Within the comfort of the Salter home, a private-duty home care nurse checks Meghan’s vital signs, trach tube and ventilator, and provides the compassionate care that distinguishes the visiting care program as an important part of the Michigan Difference.
She braids Meghan’s pigtails, wipes tears from her eyes and rocks her in a chair—anything she can do to keep her content. She is one of several U-M private-duty nurses who treat Meghan throughout the day. This allows Mike and Ellen Salter to take some breaks, knowing that their daughter is in good hands.
“These nurses are part of our family,” says Mike Salter.
Michigan Visiting Care nurses work full- and part-time shifts, as well as contingent positions—sometimes in addition to their existing duties—to provide the round-the-clock care their patients require.
“It’s a job you really have to be passionate about,” says one MVC nursing supervisor, “and you have to be willing to get attached to families and love them like they’re your own.” |
