For Justin, juggling a busy lifestyle with going to hospital every six to eight weeks to receive infusions for Crohn's disease, was difficult. But with chemo@home, Justin now gets his life-changing treatment on the go, freeing him up for life's more important things.
"I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, which is an inflammatory bowel disease, in 2001" Justin explains.
"Crohn's affects everyone differently. For me, the biggest thing was general fatigue, stiffness, soreness — just generally not feeling great all the time".
"For the first ten years it was manageable, but in about 2012 my condition started to deteriorate, and flare-ups were difficult to control."
Justin's doctors finally found a treatment that worked for him, but it meant having to receive a special infusion, involving an intravenous injection of drugs, every six to eight weeks.
"It was quite inconvenient because it meant going into the hospital to get it done," he says. "You have to get yourself there; you have to get checked in, then there's a lot of waiting around, they have to get set up, and so on. To get a two-hour infusion took between a half-day if I was lucky, through to a full working day of sitting around in the hospital ward."
As an eligible HBF member, Justin was able to access chemo@home, which provides the same treatment he would get in a hospital, delivered by medical professionals wherever is most convenient for him — whether that's at home, work or somewhere that is safe to do so.
"For someone like me, who has a busy job, chemo@home means I can get my treatment done at work, and it doesn't take too long," Justin says.
With chemo@home, Justin says he saves time on travel and sitting around in hospital. "It's as simple as a phone call to arrange the time they'll be visiting."
"It's the flexibility, the fact it's a minimal interruption to your daily work and social life, but it's also the experience and professionalism of the staff," Justin explains. "The nurses deliver these treatments all the time, so they're very proficient. That gives you a high level of confidence".
Am I eligible for chemo@home and how much does it cost
Nearly every hospital cover option at HBF includes chemo@home, except for Basic Hospital Plus. To access the chemo@home program you will need to speak with your specialist who can draw up a referral for the program
If you’re eligible for chemo@home, you won't have any gaps to pay for the cost of your treatment—this is fully covered for HBF members. However, you may have some out-of-pocket expenses to pay for pharmacy items included in your chemo@home treatment. To check if your hospital cover includes chemo@home please contact us.
To find out more about chemo@home visit the page here. It contains lots of information and advice for members who might benefit from the convenience of treatment at home
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