House Calls: Nurse gives preventative care throughout the state

Using what Spanish she has picked up on the road, Kaye Kendall asks Paula Garcia what medicine she’s taking and what her medical history is before checking her blood pressure and sugar levels.

Kendall also checks the woman’s legs and feet to see how well her circulatory system is working.

“It’s more of a preventative medical approach. I do a lot of teaching. It’s so much easier to prevent things (than treat them),” she said.

For the past several months, Kendall and her husband Roger have been traveling throughout the state of Texas, meeting customers of Kaye’s employer, Medicare Advantage Plan provider Care Improvement Plus, to check their health and make recommendations to them on how to stay healthy.

Kendall, who has been a nurse for more than 30 years and a nurse practitioner for three years, said she enjoys traveling long distances from her home in Frisco to see patients.

“The thing I like about it is everybody has a story. My job is to find out what that story is and what to do to make (patients) better,” she said.

Kendall started her medical career as a registered nurse working in critical care and in the operating room. But she became frustrated after awhile because she felt the doctors she worked with didn’t always listen to nurses’ recommendations.

“You see what needs to be done, (but) you can’t always convince a doctor (to give patients) what they need,” Kendall said.

She decided to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner to make more of a difference in patients’ lives.
In March, she began working for the health insurance provider visiting customers and assessing their health.

So far, Kendall has seen more than 250 Rio Grande Valley residents during her trips here. She usually makes about a half dozen visits a day.

“We have a good time down here. We like the people. They’re so welcoming. They welcome you into their home with open arms,” said Kendall, 62.

Garcia, 84, said she’s in fairly good health, but has to watch her blood sugar and pressure levels. She also said she appreciates Kendall’s visit, and hugged the nurse as she left her home.

“It seems good,” Garcia said in Spanish about her insurance provider’s house call program.

Programs like the one Kendall’s employer provides can help older Americans stay healthy, especially those who live in more remote places, said Laura Albrecht, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.

“Certainly getting health care in their home make it a lot easier,” Albrecht said.

It is also important for the elderly to maintain a healthy diet, exercise and have a support system of friends and family. And with the holiday season here, it is also good for families to plan with their older relatives on arrangements for health care and other needs, Albrecht said.

Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.