Fifteen years ago health care choices for seniors who were in need of care were somewhat limited to either a hospital stay or going to a nursing home.

Kathy Rode, a nurse at the Mennonite Memorial Home in Bluffton, saw that many of them could stay at home with just a little assistance.

"We wanted to offer a third option in the way of home health services, where nurses would make visits in people's homes to help them recoup after surgeries or if they needed further assistance," said Rode, founding Director of Mennonite Home Health.

"We decided that this would be an excellent service for the Mennonite Home to offer the elders in this community and so began the journey of the last 15 years."

The nurses began offering in-home services such as: skilled nursing care, medicine supervision, post-surgical care, physical assessments, and home evaluations.

Mennonite Home Health also had nursing assistants who went to client's homes to give support in the form of personal care, bathing and other needs.

Over the last 15 years Mennonite Home Health has served hundreds of clients in four counties and has seen the size of their staff double.

"We have made wonderful friends, shared many memories and enjoyed giving excellent care," said Rode. "Many children don't live in the area and they rely on us to provide that weekly interaction and communication with other health professionals about the needs of their loved ones. It is a very rewarding job."

Many of the original employees, who came from the staff at the Mennonite Memorial Home, are still working with Mennonite Home Health today.

Nurses such as Jane Shaw, Deb Lehman, and Julie Hunt, have over 20 years each of elder care experience. Rode has worked for MHCO for 29 years and has enjoyed her long career in serving elders.

The Home Health nursing assistants, Lynetta Crow, Christa Nofziger and Kate Mille also have multiple years of experience in assisting people in their homes and with their personal needs.

Mennonite Home Health provides care through both Medicare and private pay options. They make about 85 visits per week to clients who live within a 15-30 mile radius of Bluffton.

"The feedback we receive means the world to us. Words like; "you have such a caring," and "compassionate staff," "you gave me peace of mind," "my recovery went so well thanks to you." These are the why we love what we do!" said Rode.

Mennonite Home Health has added to its services by partnering with Northwest Physical Therapy to include physical, speech and occupational therapy done in the home.

Personas wanting to learn more about Mennonite Home Health, visit the web-site at www.mmhliving.org and click on "Home Health" or call 419-358-7803. Mennonite Home Health is a service branch of the Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio, in Bluffton.