Having worked in the field of home care for frail, elderly and vulnerable people, I can fully appreciate the need to have this service available when it is needed. Whilst some might see this as a method of “palming off” their elderly relatives when they become frail and unable to live safely on their own, there is far more to this essential service than simply convenience.
How do you define home care?
Put simply, “home care includes any professional support services that allow a person to live safely or independently in their home”. The emphasis here is on safety and independence The reasons for calling in home nursing or home care specialists are varied, including helping someone who is living with chronic health issues, has a special need or a disability, is recovering at home from an operation, or is ageing and frail and cannot live alone safely or independently. Professional caregivers include registered nursing staff, nurse aides and therapists who come in as needed to provide physical therapy on either a short- or long-term basis. Home care specialists are trained in taking care of frail or physically challenged persons at a time when they need it the most. These specialists are fully trained and qualified in all aspects of home medical care, well able to pick up the reins and keep the patient or client comfortable, secure and monitored exactly per their needs. Their duties may involve full nursing services or simpler care, such as assisting with washing and dressing and all aspects of personal care, preparing meals and helping with housework and outings where the client must be accompanied for safety reasons. Simpler duties may involve reminders when medication needs to be taken or administered, keeping track of such medication, quick visits to cook or prepare and serve meals and clean up afterwards. Such duties might also involve fetching and accompanying the client to doctors’ appointments, going with the client to the shops or buying in household supplies as required and providing companionship.
Trust and transparency are key elements to look for
Home care services necessarily rely on high degrees of responsibility, commitment, timeliness, patience and a professional attitude at all times. In instances where the care service involves running and purchasing for the household and direct finances are involved, absolute transparency must be the norm. Everything must be recorded and accounted for, and a precise log kept of all spending and the reasons therefore. This is understandable when you have elderly persons who are unable to run the household themselves and where the money comes in from family members or through other sources which are not close by and therefore unable to monitor spending on a daily basis.
Nursing sisters are the specialists in home care matters
Home nursing and home care services are a very common element in countries such as the UK, which has a large elderly population and deals with many physically-, emotionally- or mentally-challenged people of all ages, and where as much home care as possible is undertaken to relieve the burden on hospitals, nursing homes and the overwhelmed National Health Service. On the whole, excellent care services are provided by professionally trained and accredited domiciliary or live-in carers, all of whom are given strict limitations on the level of their duties. Nursing sisters are called in when needed for any invasive procedures such as giving injections, changing dressings and checking on the healing of wounds, palliative care where oxygen and morphine pumps are in use, monitoring a client’s general health where this is deteriorating, amongst other duties.
Time is elastic in home care services
Home care services may be long- or short-term, depending on situation. The recuperation period after an operation or an accident will depend largely on the age, physical condition and emotional attitude of the client, and the extent of the injury. In cases where brain damage or severe spinal cord injury has been sustained, the subsequent care will be ongoing for an indefinite period, as will Alzheimer’s or dementia care, neither of which are reversible. Palliative or end-of-life care will similarly continue until the client is moved into hospice care or passes away. In the intervening period, home care and home nursing services will ease the burden on the family and ensure that the client is as comfortable and safe as possible.
Nursing services need more appreciation – for a good reason!
Nurses, as a profession, are largely under-appreciated and it is concerning that they are not held in the high esteem that they rightly deserve. The work that they do is not pleasant, and their patients can be very difficult at times, so a smile goes a long way. Whether they are taking care of you or a family member in – or out – of your home, they are performing a job which is invaluable and brings much comfort to everyone. Call in their services when you cannot cope or need a break from caring for someone, whether it is for a short period or a longer duration. Let them help you and your ageing parent/s if they are in need of help to live independently and comfortably in their own home, and relax in the knowledge that they are being given the best care.
