4/6/26 A home visit

Today was a special day! We took a team to go on a home visit. It is common for those in primary care to do home visits for patients unable to make it to appointments on their own. This particular patient was bed bound and needed a catheter changed. We gathered supplies from the clinic and then walked to the patient's home. When we knocked on the door, the patient's relatives that cared for them opened the door. The resident and nurse we were with told us that this was a very traditional Greek city home. The marble staircase winded up to the room where our patient was. They had a hospital bed set up for the patient along with a TV, chairs for company, family pictures, and medical supplies. The patient had a stroke several years ago which lead them to be bed bound and trouble feeding. It is common for patients' families to take care of their elderly parents/in-laws as the family unit is extremely tight here. It puts strain on the family but they would not have it any other way. There are not many nursing facilities on the island of Crete, which is also an emphasis on taking care of your family members. I feel this concept has been lost in the US. Many families now rely on nursing homes and other care facilities to take care of their elderly family members. Although, many of them do not want to go to these facilities for lack of outstanding treatment or conditions. We also do not feel the strong family bond of taking care of our elderly as if we do not "owe" it to them for raising and caring for us. While I see the strain it puts on people for time, responsibility, and stress, I do see the value of taking in older family members. I wish there was better support in the US for keeping our elderly patients in our homes. You could feel the love and care the family had for the patient and the appreciation for us being there. The patient was also extremely grateful for our presence and offered us candy before we left. With the growing elderly population, I think we should have better resources for families to care for our loved ones and/or better and cheaper facilities for them to be in.