Heidi Creighton: 'It’s So Intimate to Care for a Family in Their Home at a Vulnerable Time'

November is National Home Care Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the dedicated, nurses, therapists, and social workers who provide skilled, compassionate care to patients in their homes.

At South Shore Health, the South Shore VNA team works collaboratively to care for patients with chronic illnesses, following surgery, or recovering from acute illness or injury.

From wound care and medication management, to physical and occupational therapy, Home Care workers are committed to providing patients personalized comprehensive care in the comfort of home.

For Heidi Creighton, RN, the team leader for the VNA’s Parent Child Health Division, there’s no place like home for caring for families and forming fulfilling relationships.

“I love being let into someone’s space,” said Creighton, who has been with South Shore VNA for five years. 

“It’s so intimate to care for a family in their home at a vulnerable time.”

Of Creighton’s 17 years in nursing, 12 have been devoted to home care, specializing in maternal/child health.

“I always wanted to be a pediatric nurse,” said Creighton, who began her career at Boston Children’s Hospital before making the change to home care.

Many people associate home care as something for older adults with chronic illnesses or recovering from surgery or an acute injury. The Parent and Child Health Team cares for moms and babies and children through adolescence, Creighton said. 

The team of nine registered nurses provide medical care, post-surgical care, central line care, oncology care – including chemotherapy treatments – and obstetrical prenatal and post-partum care, she said.

In home care you see everything, Creighton said.

"We care for moms with blood pressure issues, C-section wounds, or needing lactation support, and newborns with feeding tubes, cardiac anomalies or recovering from surgery.” 

The team also cares for kids with cancer and those waiting for organ transplants. When providing care for a sick child, you’re really caring for the entire family, Creighton said. 

“You are their support, they trust you and ask you questions. It’s our role to help guide and empower them so they can care for their children and be safe at home.”

Referrals to the VNA’s Parent and Child Health Team come from area hospitals and obstetric and pediatric providers across the region, and the team provides care for patients wherever they call home, whether it’s a house, apartment, shelter or a hotel, she said. 

“It’s interesting meeting people where they're at and being able to provide care and support them,” said Creighton, noting the team serves all populations, including underserved populations, as well as those who may not speak English.      

“I’ve learned a lot about other cultures, beliefs, and social norms in this role,” she said. “It has made more a more well-rounded nurse and person.”

While the job can be challenging, it is also tremendously rewarding, Creighton said. 

“It’s amazing to see kids grow and develop, get well and begin to thrive. Or to help a woman who has had a difficult pregnancy, come out on the other side and begin to feel that it’s going to be OK.”

Medical care isn’t the only way Creighton and her team serve families. 

In addition to helping them navigate their care, maternal/child health nurses connect families with community resources and benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and services from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) and the Perinatal Behavioral Health Program at the Grayken Center for Treatment at South Shore Health.

"We’re not social workers but we also help in that way,” she said.

Creighton, who was a nominee for the 2024 Marjorie S. Bryant Award for Outstanding Patient Service, has high praise for her colleagues on the Parent Child Health team.

“We’re a cohesive team and can rely on each other,” she said.  “We all come from different healthcare backgrounds, bring our own experience and strengths and can lean on one another.” 

That’s key, because home care is very autonomous, she said.

“You have to be sure of what you’re doing because you’re on your own.  Being able to think outside the box and on your feet is important.”

Learn more about Home Care services provided by the South Shore Visiting Nurse Association.