No greater gift can be imagined by those who are confined to a care facility than the option to be home for the holidays with their loved ones. But that’s not always easy.

Often, a person who is in a nursing home is no longer ambulatory.  That makes it difficult for family members to transport them from place to place.  Some nursing home residents have IVs or other medical devices that make being transported still more difficult.  Then there are others who are literally bedfast.  What average citizen has a vehicle suitable for transporting someone who can’t get out of bed?

With that in mind, Jacob Smith, Field Operator for the DeKalb Ambulance Service (DAS), decided to help local families who otherwise couldn’t be together during the upcoming holiday season. Thus, the “Home for the Holidays” program was born.  “Home for the Holidays” is a free service offered by the DAS.

According to Smith, DAS has the equipment and ability to transport patients in wheelchairs and ambulances, so “why not use it?” He said DAS can bridge the gap.

Using DAS vehicles and equipment to transport someone provides a safer option and added comfort for the patient.

Through the “Home for the Holidays” program, the EMS team delivers their charge right to the patient’s recliner at home and remains by the patient’s side until they are comfortable and settled in for the visit. Then, when the event is over and you’re ready for the loved one to be transported back to the care facility, the EMS team will come and safely transport them back to the facility where they reside.

If not for the “Home for the Holidays” program, many care facility residents wouldn’t have the opportunity to see their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren during the holidays.

That’s a priceless gift: Quality home time with loved ones.

If you have a family member in a care facility and would like them to benefit from the “Home for the Holidays” program, call DAS at 256-845-4027 or visit their Facebook page.

“Home for the Holidays” is available until the first of the year.

Courtesy of Mountain Valley News