SERVICE LETS NURSING CARE RESIDENTS GET BACK HOME

Some Stoddard County nursing home patients will get to go "Home for the Holidays" Thursday for Thanksgiving.

The Stoddard County Ambulance District will provide transportation for immobile patients to be with their relatives and friends for the holiday.

The service is designed for nursing home patients who are unable to travel except by ambulance, said Monti Cooper of SCAD, and coordinator of the program. It is also available for the Christmas holiday.

"We feel that Thanksgiving and Christmas are times that people should be together," said David Cooper, SCAD district manager. "We recognize that several families cannot be with one another due to some confinements in area nursing homes, so we will provide a means of transportation so these folks can be home for the holidays."

The ambulance service does not charge the patient or the family for the service.

Cooper said patients and their families can choose to go home either Wednesday or Thursday. "The patients may stay as long as they wish on their visits, whether it's just a few hours or overnight."

Return trips can be scheduled for Thursday or Friday.

All of the service's ambulances will be used throughout the county to transport nursing home residents. A backup ambulance can be called out if an emergency call comes up, but generally freeing up an ambulance on short notice is not difficult.

Stoddard County Ambulance Service has been delivering good cheer on Thanksgiving by providing rides to nursing home residents to their families' homes for the past 12 years.

"This has been a good program for us," said Cooper. "Totals have ranged from eight to 15 people each holiday period."

"Three patients had requested the service as of Monday," said Cooper, "but most of the requests usually come in the final day."

People interested in the program should contact the activity directors in Stoddard County nursing homes. The nursing homes will make the arrangements with the ambulance district, Cooper said.

Or, for additional information, contact Monti Cooper, program coordinator, at the ambulance district's office in Dexter, (573) 624-4528.

"It's a great program," said Vicky Oller, activity director at the Advance Nursing Home. "It lets many people go home who would be unable to otherwise."

Some of the Advance Nursing Home residents have been using the service the past few years. "We start getting requests here in early October," said Oller.

Alice Eagle of Beverly Health & Rehab Service of Dexter became familiar with the program when her mother was in a nursing home.

"It means a lot to some of the residents here," she said.

"They look forward to the annual program to be home with their families."