My name is Lisa Letterman and my son John was in a severe car accident in 2020, which left him paralyzed from the neck down, unable to walk, talk, or breathe on his own. As he was preparing to be discharged from the hospital, I unfortunately was not aware of any other long-term care option other than a nursing facility, so I made the difficult decision to send him to a facility in Virginia. But after a short time, it was clear that John’s health and quality of life were deteriorating, so I started researching other care options until I found home care.
After a long and stressful separation, John was finally able to return home to receive in-home care under North Carolina’s Private Duty Nursing (PDN) services. Since returning home with one-on-one nursing care, his condition has improved immensely. He no longer requires a feeding tube, he is now able to talk on his own and is even slowly making progress in regaining movement. However, there is a new hurdle that we face: trying to find enough nursing coverage for John. There is a critical nursing shortage that leaves families like mine struggling to care for our loved ones on our own, putting us in a constant state of exhaustion and concern when we can’t get coverage. I knew that something must be done to fix this shortage, so I started to advocate.
Our experience with a legislative home visit:
Recently, John and I invited our North Carolina Representative, Dudley Greene into our home (virtually), to show the importance of in-home nursing services and to advocate for better access-to-care. At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the virtual visit, but I can tell you it was an incredible experience that I believe other home care families should consider when wanting to advocate and make a difference.
Before the visit, BAYADA client services manager, Rachel Miller, handled the logistics. Once we agreed to opening our home, she handled everything from scheduling, practicing our call, and keeping us updated. When the 30-minute meeting began, it was like Rep. Greene was sitting in our home having a conversation with us. He could see all of John’s machines, medical routine, and he listened to the challenges we face. It was clear by the look on Rep. Greene’s face that he was truly understanding our situation in a way that no letter, email, or phone call could describe. We had his undivided attention for 30 minutes and in that time, we showed him the power of home care. After the visit was over, both John and I were impressed with how easy and rewarding the process was.
Bottom Left to Right: North Carolina State Rep. Dudley Greene, BAYADA client & NC resident, John Letterman during the virtual home visit.
Why I advocate:
I advocate for home care because I can’t image what it would feel like to go through what John, and others like him, have had to experience and not have anyone around to speak up on your behalf. I have seen John in every stage of his recovery: in the hospital, nursing home and then at home. It is because of PDN that John is thriving and living the quality of life he deserves. I want other families to have access to this same high quality, in-home care, but without better state-funding, that won’t be possible.
Why YOU should participate in a home visit:
Legislators like Rep. Greene determine the budget and funding for these types of programs, so we must do our part to educate them as best we can. I believe that legislators want to make a difference in their communities and help their constituents, but most are not aware these issues even exist. The more that decision-makers understand of the benefits of in-home care, the more advocates we have supporting our cause. Whether it’s a virtual or in-person home visit, these types of interactions with legislators give them a glimpse inside our challenging environment and help them understand the importance of in-home care ─ something that an email, letter, or phone call could never convey.
