Priceless Peace of Mind
Meridian At Home does whatever it takes to keep people at their ease and in their own homes, ultimately treating them not like patients, but like family members.

To this day, the family of Ruth Kernahan — including granddaughter Moira (holding her picture), grandson Timmy, and daughter Maryann — remain at peace about the skilled and devoted care she received at home during her last years, especially that delivered by her longtime aide and friend, Anita Bryant (on right).

Back in 1987, 19 years before her mother, Ruth Kernahan, passed away, Maryann McGevna of Wall Township remembers thinking to herself, It was bad enough when Mom got hit with the whammy of suffering a stroke at just 65 years old. But to now get hit with the double whammy of being taken out of her home and the neighborhood she loves?…That's just not fair.

Concerns like these are what led Maryann and her siblings (sister Peggy and two brothers Dennis and Martin) to decide that their mother was not in fact going to leave her home — there had to be other options. The answer came in the form of Meridian At Home, which made it possible for Ruth to remain happily at home for close to two decades following her stroke. In tandem with Ruth's children, Meridian At Home delivered the care she needed while simultaneously building a solid, long-term relationship that offered support for the entire family.

Having Somewhere to Turn
"We approached caring for my mother with a team effort, both us and Meridian At Home," Maryann stresses. "Everyone in my family played a significant role in helping my mom. Some played a financial role, some were involved with the dayto- day care, and others played a strong emotional and supportive role — all were important in making this work."

Maryann goes on to talk about what she learned from this experience: "If you've never been in a situation where you've dealt with this — having to care for a loved one — you really don't know where to turn for help. That's why having a resource like Meridian At Home was so valuable; they had everything we could possibly need to care for and provide peace of mind, not only for my mom, but for all of us too."

After Ruth's stroke, Maryann and her husband, Tom, moved in with her to keep a closer eye on her. So they saw firsthand everything that Meridian provided over the past 19 years, from skilled nursing care to I.V. infusion care to the targeted rehabilitation of Ruth's physical therapists and the personal touch of her certified home health aides.

"Both Tom and I worked during the day, so while we were out, we completely opened our home to Meridian At Home's caregivers," says Maryann. "It really meant a lot to me that they were trustworthy, reliable, and, of course, could provide quality care. The fact that Meridian At Home is affiliated with Meridian Health reassured me that Mom was receiving top-notch care."

The Meridian At Home Philosophy
Michelle Mendelson, director of Meridian At Home, is wholly dedicated to this level of quality care for all patients. "Meridian At Home is committed to providing a complete range of innovative service options in the comfort and privacy of our clients' and their families' homes," she states. "Our range of services is designed with one goal in mind: to provide individualized solutions in order to keep our patients and their families living well at home and in charge of their lives — throughout the entire course of their lives."

Loved ones like Maryann really appreciate this philosophy. She recalls her mother's affection for Anita Bryant, Ruth's certified home health aide for the last six years of her life: "My mom used to say to me that Anita cared for her in a way that never made her feel like a patient, but rather like a family member who came by each day to spend time with her and see how she was doing. As a daughter, I can't tell you how much comfort and ease the relationship and bond between Anita and my mother afforded me. The constant communication and trust allowed me to continue to focus on my family while knowing my mom was in great hands. And that is priceless."

– Chris Teasdale