CAMDEN, Maine — In a time of corporate health insurance, sky-high health care costs, and hospital budget crises, more than 100 older residents of Camden and several surrounding towns still receive regular, affordable health care at home.
It’s essentially the care Camden District Nursing has been providing for 104 years.
For the past 15 years, that care has been delivered by nurse Judi Lyson.
“We give them what they need to stay in their homes and age in place," said Judi, who began her nursing career in London. "That’s not provided by the health care system."
Camden District Nursing is a nonprofit that serves residents of Camden, Rockport, Hope, and Lincolnville, providing a range of in-home health services, such as tracking vital signs, dispensing medications and assisting those who are bedridden.
Lydon said they currently serve 115 patients, many on a weekly basis, with the goal to keep those people living at home as long as possible and not needed nursing home care.
Virginia, who asked that her last name not be used, is one of those who gets regular visits from nurse Judy. She said those visits have become an essential part of her care in a time when many doctors come to the area and then leave.
"It’s a frustrating system—not a good system,” Virginia said as she sat at her dining room table following the nurse’s visit. "The individual doctors may be good, but there is no continuity. The continuity, really, is Judi. She knows what’s going on, week to week. “
That continuity of care, she said, is highly reassuring and is totally the result of the Camden District Nursing visits.
The visits are made on a regular schedule, Judi explained, so patients can depend on the nurse being there.
The visits are not covered by health insurance or Medicare, but Camden District Nursing said patients don’t mind because the fee is so reasonable.
“It's $30 a visit, if they can afford to pay,” Judi said. “If not, we bring it down to whatever is manageable.”
Those fees don’t cover all the costs of providing services, so Camden District Nursing does fund raising, soliciting donations from charitable and community groups, as well as from the towns they serve. Board Chair Nancy Dowling they send fundraising letters each year to all the residents of one of the four towns. They also use funds from bequests made to the organization from families of loved ones who have benefitted from the care.
Budgets are always tight, Dowling said, but they are hoping to be able to expand in 2025 by hiring a second nurse. That person could give Judi Lydon an occasional break, which she rarely gets now. It also could free up some of her time for more fundraising, where she speaks passionately about the importance of the care they provide.
The service is a model that’s followed only in a few other Maine communities. Rockland and the Boothbay/Boothbay Harbor communities also have district nursing organizations that help provide care for people at home.
Dowling said she thinks other places could follow their example to provide similar services because the sort of help they provide is essential to many older Mainers.
"Vital,” she said. “Especially these days more than ever, and I don’t think it's just demographics. The whole system is pretty hard to navigate, and I know the nurses and our office administrator help people navigate the system who don’t know what to do or where to go."