Introduction
Home care, domiciliary care or social care is a health care service provided by professionals, like nurses, doctors or other licensed medical personnel, to those who require it at the patient’s home. Home nursing is provided either for faster recovery or management of patient with chronic illness which the family is not able to handle without professional help. Care is tailored to each patient’s requirement when it comes to home nursing.
History
Home nursing has been provided over the years in one way or another whether it be by professionals in these days or by home trained personnel in the past. Basic examples would include wound care, catheterization, phlebotomy services, medical screening and evaluation as well as educating the patient and the family on specific health issues. Home care is an integral part of post recovery where the patient is helped into slowly going back to their daily routines. Nursing includes 2 types:
• Activities of daily living e.g. changing, bathing, walking etc.
• Instrumental activities of daily living e.g. preparing meals, some house work, groceries etc.
Features
It takes some time to discover which home nursing agency has better facilities and management than others. The following are certain tips to be looked upon when looking for a suitable care giver:
• Learn as much as possible about the best of Home nursing service providers if you want your loved one to be cared for in the best manner.
• Making sure that the care givers, nurses or doctors are qualified and licensed workers.
• Decide the time period for which you require the service for as services are available for limited hours to 24/7 services.
• Interview the caring personnel for yourself and involve the patient.
• Observe their behavior and treatment of the patient.
• Is the care giver well aware of the patient’s condition? Make sure that they are and keep them in contact with the patient’s physician.
• Make sure that they are responsible, are giving the patients medication on time, arranging meals, cleaning the patient, if the patient is being taken out then to properly provide safety to the patient.
• Meet existing patients of the Nursing agency to get first hand information about the facilities and services of the specific agency. This is the best way to decide rather than reading broachers and pamphlets for home care agencies.
• Most important is the fact that the involvement of the patient in this process is vital because the better they are able to bond with their care giver the better they will listen to them and quicker they will recover or be able to operate.
Tips and comments
These are certain tips, if followed it is possible to find the perfect Home Nursing care giver for your loved ones who will provide the same love and care as you will during your absence, without the feeling of becoming a burden on any one. The patients will feel more independent and be able to do much more than they were able to before.
