Caring for an elderly family member or family members with serious health issues can be a real challenge for families. Often, families find it easier for their loved one to recuperate in their home than any other setting. This is where skilled nursing can be beneficial. The recovery process can be safer at home if the patient is receiving the appropriate type or level of care from a professional nurse.
Understanding the Patient’s Needs
Before choosing any modality of care, it is important to first determine how much care your loved one requires. Some patients only require assistance with their activities of daily living, while some may require daily medical support or follow the interventions of a procedure or surgery. Elderly patients with dementia, recently recovered from strokes, recovering from surgeries, or with mobility issues could benefit from the home nurse service in more ways than one.
Look for Verified and Trained Professionals
When considering an individual caregiver, you want to make sure that the nursing staff is certified and trained in specific aspects of the patient’s plan of care. Whether that be vital signs, a feeding tube, or rehabilitation with physical therapy, a qualified nurse at home can substantially influence the patient’s recovery.
Reputable home nursing services, when hiring staff and providing home-care services, conduct thorough background checks and training, as well as regular ongoing training weekly & monthly, depending on the specific service they provide. Reliable home nursing service also provides relatives with ease of mind when the agency puts the right nurse in the right situation based on the patient’s illness/situation & desired fit with the nurse.
Explore Part-Time and Full-Time Options
Care requirements range from household to household. While some individuals may need help for as little as a few hours a day, others may require support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trustworthy home nurse services will typically offer both part-time and full-time packages.
For example:
- Part-time nurses may assist with medication, moving around, personal hygiene tasks, and vital sign monitoring at scheduled times throughout the day.
- Full-time nurses, by contrast, will provide continuous care for patients who are bedridden or need more difficult care as a result of a complex medical set of requirements.
- Choosing the appropriate type of nurse at home is important to ensure that your loved one receives personalised care while avoiding unnecessary costs.
Ask for Referrals and Read Reviews
Word of mouth can be very effective. Ask your doctor, hospital, or friends if they have any trusted home nurse services to recommend. You can also read online reviews and testimonials to help determine a home nurse provider’s reputation and the quality of care.
Many agencies also offer consultation calls or trial visits to help determine whether a particular nurse at home is the right fit for your loved one.
Check Service Inclusions and Flexibility
Not all services are identical. Some service providers are dedicated to providing medical support only, while some include assistance with personal care, emotional support and friendship, among they can vary greatly. Understand what a specific home nurse service entails when investigating. You should also determine if the service is flexible in terms of scheduling, if they can follow up with emergency requests, or if they offer long-term care.
Consider Agencies that Come with Tech Support
Most modern home nurse services have developed an app-based or online platform to enable easier communication and scheduling. Some online platforms allow a family to ensure that the nurse visits. Some allow a family to keep track of the condition of the patient or allow the family to track and communicate with the care manager.
Tech-enabled services allow for families to remotely manage care for the patient and family member. For families who live in other cities or another county, this helps with managing care remotely. This provides coherence in communications, timely updates, and organised or standardised records.
Monitor the Care and Communicate Often
When the nurse arrives in the home to start their independent living assignment, the family and loved ones should remain involved and connected with the caregiver. Quality agencies provide the care plan, progress reports, and have a manager as a point of contact if they want to provide feedback or have a concern. It is important to have frequent communication with the nurse to provide input to improve the care experience and ensure comfortable and safe care for their loved one.
If the loved one cannot reliably express their needs, then the family and carer’s input can potentially help the nurse identify options for adjusting the care and care routine. Communication and interaction between the family and the nurse help build a trusting relationship and establish continuity of care over time.
Conclusion
Selecting the right home nurse for elder or critical care patients can positively affect the patient’s physical health, but also their mental health. Families will find reliable and compassionate care for their loved one when they do their research, pay attention to detail, and maintain communication with the nurse. Home nursing is not just about treatment. It’s about healing with dignity, comfort, and respect at the place they feel safest: their home.
Photo by Antoni Shkraba Studio:
