House calls to the homeless > Nurse gives medical help to the needy

Once a week Janet Jones makes house calls to the homeless. As a nurse for Bangor District Nursing, a home-health-care agency, Jones works at the Greater Bangor Shelter and provides free care to temporary residents, who otherwise might not receive any medical information or attention.

For approximately three hours on Monday nights, she checks blood pressures, teaches prenatal care, treats skin problems or counsels patients on proper health care.

Most commonly, however, Jones sees patients with hypothermia, a particularly hard-hitting ailment of the homeless during frigid Maine winters.

But the range of physical disorders varies, as in any medical treatment center, except none of Jones’ patients can afford even minimal health care.

“When you see them in the hospital, all their needs are met,” says Jones. “When you see them in the street, none of their needs are met. They have to fend for themselves.”

One woman, who Jones saw recently, had been discharged without medication after a six-day hospital stay for a toe infection. The doctors instructed the woman to keep her leg elevated, but, asks Jones, “How does somebody who doesn’t have a home do that?”

Whether responding to emergency needs or helping boarders understand long-term care, Jones knows the physical plight of the homeless involves more than finding a warm spot to call home for the night. Her job frequently involves “psycho-social” counseling.

“It can be difficult to put all the pieces of these people’s lives together,” says Jones. “They may have been okay when they were first homeless, but as time passes, people’s needs change. Hopefully, we can establish a relationship to address those needs.”

The daughter of a psychiatrist, Jones has always had an interest in the mental-health field. In college, she studied agriculture, but decided to switch careers nine years ago while living in Augusta. “It’s just something I always wanted to do,” she says.

Whereas some might find working in a homeless shelter threatening or even dangerous, Jones seems particularly motivated about this part of her weekly work routine. During her one-year tenure at the shelter, she has only felt threatened by one client, who had a history of criminal assault.

“Homeless aren’t all down and out,” she explains in a tone that reveals her frustration with the stereotypes of people for whom she has provided care. “They’re also regular folk who have been affected by circumstances.”

And, despite the successes she has seen — the people who have put their lives back together — Jones knows there will always be a need for health services for the homeless.

“People move out of the shelter. They get apartments. They get jobs. They do better, and there is upward progress. But there is that certain segment that’s chronically there.”

During the rest of the week, Jones works part time providing home-health care (also through Bangor District Nursing) for people who live within a 25-mile radius of Bangor. But, she says, working at the shelter is different. It is, at once, the highlight of her career and a humbling experience.

“It really puts things into perspective,” she says. “Things may not be great with you, but you have four walls, and a roof and you have a lot to be thankful for.”