Wound care at home in Crestwood
Watson Road, once part of Route 66, runs the length of Crestwood and still defines it. On either side are streets of brick ranch homes built when the suburb was young, some still owned by the families who bought them decades ago. Sunset Hills, Kirkwood, Webster Groves and Affton surround this South County city. Many residents are older adults, and for them a trip to a wound clinic or a doctor’s office depends on a ride. Care arranged at home or in a nearby facility makes that ride unnecessary.
The typical Crestwood home is a one-story ranch with a basement, a layout that suits home visits because the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are on the same floor. The city also has condominiums, apartments and senior living, and there are assisted living and skilled nursing facilities here and in neighboring South County communities. Gateway arranges visits with partner clinicians across all of them. We ask families simple questions first, such as whether the patient can get to the door, so the visit is set up properly.
For an overview of how home visits work across the region, see mobile wound care in St. Louis.
Families in Crestwood can also start with the overview of wound care in St. Louis, from wound types to what to expect at the first visit.
When the visit comes to the home
Most of the day-to-day work of wound care happens between visits. After a partner clinician sees you at home in Crestwood, the written orders say which dressing to use, how often to change it and what to watch for. Depending on your situation, the changes are done by a home health nurse, a family caregiver or you. Gateway handles the follow-through: getting orders to the right people, tracking supply deliveries, keeping the next visit scheduled and passing your questions to the treating clinician. If the wound looks different, with more drainage, new redness, more pain or a new smell, tell us or the clinician’s office instead of waiting for the next visit.
Wound care in facilities in Crestwood
A person living with dementia may not be able to say that a heel hurts or that a dressing feels wrong, and may pull a bandage off without knowing why it is there. In memory care communities in Crestwood, the wound plan has to account for that. The treating clinician relies on what staff and family have noticed, such as changes in walking, sleep, appetite or mood, as well as on what the skin shows. Visits for wound care in memory care are planned for the resident’s own room, with a familiar caregiver present when possible. Gateway shares the plan with care staff and family so everyone watches for the same changes.
Types of wounds
Referring offices, home health agencies and facilities in Crestwood can use this list as a guide to what Gateway coordinates. It is not exhaustive. If a patient has a wound that does not fit a category, send the request anyway, and the treating clinician will determine what is appropriate.
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous leg ulcers
- Pressure injuries and bed sores
- Arterial and mixed wounds
- Non-healing wounds
- Post-surgical wounds
- Reopened (dehisced) surgical wounds
- Surgical site infections
- Skin tears and traumatic wounds
- Wounds with lymphedema
- Skin graft aftercare
- Wound VAC (NPWT) follow-up
See every wound condition and all wound care services.
After a hospital or rehab stay
Three hospitals serve many Crestwood families: St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital to the northwest, Mercy Hospital South to the south and SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton, across the Meramec River. Gateway is not affiliated with any of them. A hospital stay often ends with instructions for wound care or follow-up that the family is unsure how to carry out. Call us, or ask the discharge planner to send a referral. From there Gateway obtains the hospital records, makes sure the treating clinician has the discharge orders and sets up visits at the home or facility.
Nearby hospitals, skilled nursing and assisted living
These facilities are in or near Crestwood. They come from public directories and are listed only to help you get your bearings.
- Hospitals nearby: St. Luke's Des Peres Hospital; Mercy Hospital South; SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton
- Skilled nursing and rehabilitation nearby: Friendship Village Sunset Hills (Sunset Hills 63127); Mary, Queen and Mother Center (Shrewsbury 63119); Delmar Gardens South (St. Louis 63128); Fountain Care at Sunset Hills (St. Louis 63128)
- Assisted living and memory care nearby: Assisted Living at Charless Village (St. Louis 63129); Cedarhurst of Tesson Heights (St. Louis 63128); Friendship Village Assisted Living & Memory Care (Sunset Hills 63127)
Gateway is not affiliated with any facility listed here, and a listing does not mean a partnership or referral relationship. If the patient lives in one of them, tell us its name when you call so we can contact the right nurse or front desk.
Sources: Medicare Care Compare nursing home data (CMS) and the Missouri DHSS long-term care directory.
Primary care alongside wound care
If getting to a wound clinic is difficult, getting to a primary care office usually is too. Checkups get skipped, refills run out and lab work is put off, all of which can slow healing. For people in Crestwood in that position, Gateway can arrange in-home primary care with a partner clinician at the same time as wound care. You can ask for both in one call. The treating clinician decides what follow-up is needed, and we handle the scheduling and records.
Getting care in Crestwood
When calling about care in Crestwood, have the patient’s address and phone number, their doctor’s name, a medication list and any hospital discharge paperwork. Tell us if a key box, side door or neighbor is part of how visitors get in. Gateway coordinates care in Sunset Hills, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Affton and the rest of South County too. Crestwood is close to Interstates 44 and 270, though availability is always confirmed by location and care setting.
Visits are confirmed by location and care setting, so call 314-325-0126 with your ZIP code to ask about your address.
The first thing we ask is where the patient lives, because visit availability depends on the location and the care setting. A private home in Crestwood, an assisted living apartment and a skilled nursing room are each scheduled differently. After that, we ask about the wound in plain terms: where it is, how long it has been there and who has been caring for it. Then come coverage questions and records. We will not quote a visit date on the first call unless we can confirm it. To begin, call 314-325-0126.
- County: St. Louis County, Missouri
- ZIP codes: 63126
- Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation
Nearby: Sunset Hills, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Affton, South County
Insurance and coverage
A wound care plan can involve more than one bill. The clinician’s visit, the dressings and supplies, home health nursing and any equipment may each come from a different provider or supplier, each with its own coverage rules. That is why Gateway asks about insurance early, for Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and commercial plans alike. We help track what each party needs, such as an order, a form or a prior authorization. Questions about what you will owe are answered by the treating provider and your plan, and you can ask before the first visit.
Common questions
My mother has lived in the same Crestwood house for decades and wants to stay. Can care come to her?
Yes. Gateway arranges wound care and primary care follow-up at private homes in Crestwood, so she can be seen in her own house. Call 314-325-0126 with her address and phone number. We will ask about her needs and her doctors, confirm availability for her location and coordinate the first visit with a partner clinician.
Does Gateway handle wound care supplies for a home in Crestwood?
Gateway coordinates supplies as part of arranging care. The treating clinician decides which dressings and products the wound needs and writes the orders. We then work on getting those supplies to the Crestwood home. Whether a plan pays for particular supplies depends on the plan and the orders, and we can tell you what to ask.
Can I be at my father’s visit in Crestwood?
Please do, if he is comfortable with it. Family members often help by describing what they have noticed between visits and by hearing the clinician’s instructions firsthand. Tell us when you call that you would like to attend, and we will take your schedule into account when the visit in Crestwood is arranged, as far as availability allows.
What happens to care when a Crestwood resident leaves rehab and goes home?
Let Gateway know the discharge date and the home address. If visits were arranged during the rehab stay, we coordinate the move so records and orders follow the patient home to Crestwood. If Gateway was not involved before, the family or the rehab center’s discharge planner can start a new request by phone or fax.
Can someone in Crestwood get a second look at a wound that is not healing?
Yes. If a wound has been treated for weeks without clear progress, you can ask Gateway to arrange an assessment by a partner clinician. It helps to share what has been tried, any test results and who is treating the wound now. The clinician may suggest checking circulation, infection, pressure or swelling, or may agree with the current plan. You do not have to leave your current doctor to ask.
What if a patient in Crestwood needs a ride to a test or specialist appointment?
Wound visits arranged at home or in a facility need no ride. When the treating clinician orders something that has to be done elsewhere, such as vascular testing, imaging or a specialist visit, we help with transportation arrangements from Crestwood. That can mean working around a family driver’s schedule, a facility’s van or a ride benefit through the patient’s plan, if the plan offers one. Tell us about wheelchairs, oxygen or stairs.
General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.