Home Health Care

Let's face it; everyone has to deal with health care at some point in their lives. No matter how healthy of a lifestyle you tend to live, chances are you'll require this when you grow old. There are a variety of different ways to go about obtaining this, many people take the route of going into a nursing home. Instead, however, home health care can be very effective. The following are just a few of the most prominent benefits of home health care, all of which make a case for taking this route rather than settling on a nursing home.

For one, this provides those who receive it with the dignity that they deserve. Going into a nursing home can be a shock to a person's system, and can dramatically affect their dignity in negative ways. Home health care, on the other hand, provides these individuals with the respect that they deserve.

This is very effective at preventing or delaying the need for hospital care. For example, those that do not receive this type often end up in the hospital earlier than necessary because no preventative measures are taken. Home health care is a very good solution to this.

Another reason to consider is that it offers the individual the most amount of comfort and freedom that they can experience in their current state. The same cannot be said for those who end up in nursing homes, which feature rigid schedules and programs that must be followed. As a result, it provides for the most relaxing environment possible for a person to grow old in.

In order for one to grow old comfortably, it's important for the program to be tailored to their individual needs and preferences. Unfortunately, this is not common when people end up in nursing homes. With this, however, this can be very easily attainable and is very much worth working towards.

While some people think they can grow old in their homes on their own, the fact remains that professionally supervised services are of the utmost importance. Home health care provides these types of services, and should not be underestimated. Rather than going into a nursing home, one should consider this as the better alternative.

When people grow old, it's not uncommon for families to get torn apart over the stress factors that sometimes come about. This can help to alleviate this stress, and make things easier and more comfortable for everyone involved.

As you can see, there are many benefits to home health care. This is without a doubt the best way to age in a graceful, respectful manner.

Are you aware of the fact that elderly individuals prefer to stay at home than to be placed in nursing home or long-term care centers? Are you aware of the benefits of home health care? To know more about it, read the article below.

Senior citizens do not like to be placed in nursing homes or assisted living facilities because they do not like to loss their independence and they like to enjoy the comfort of their own homes.

Majority of them want to stay in their own houses, but many of them are placed in geriatrics homes when it is not really needed.

Advantages of home health care:

* It is more suitable than nursing homes or assisted living facilities because it promotes their independence and their empowerment.

* It promotes stable of mind, mental health and boosts sense of being control of oneself.

* They feel less vulnerable because friends and family are near and just around.

* If you hire caregivers, your loved ones can establish strong bond of companionship with them.

* Caregivers can help them achieve normal routine while improving their quality of life.

* They can accompany your parents to visit their friends and relatives who also receive the same type home care.

As your parents or grandparents grew older, it can be challenging for you on how to take care of them better. Despite the different and sensitive needs they have, they need all the love, understanding, companionship, support and care from family members, thus home care is the best option to consider.

Tips on how to provide quality home health care for your elderly loved ones:

* Assess their needs first. List their needs and ways on how to meet them. If they have dementia or Alzheimer's disease, it is best that you consult your physician first before you decide to take them home.

* Sit down and have a talk with other members of the family regarding your decision to take care of your elderly loved one at home. Since it can be a difficult decision for the family, it is best that you have an open line of communication to know each other's concerns.

* If you and other members of the family are busy, you can hire a caregiver to look after your parents at home. It is much better than placing them in nursing homes because you can monitor their health and status easily. Be sure to choose credible, experienced and responsible caregiver. Try to ask friends, relatives and colleagues for referrals or surf the Internet to read reviews of satisfied customers.

* Having caregiver at home to look after your parents is advantageous because of several reasons like:

- They can provide company and support.

- They can keep an eye of safety hazards at home.

- They can help maintain the cleanliness of your home.

- They can prepare nutritious and appetizing meals for your parents.

- They can monitor and give medicines at prescribed time.

- They can bring your parents to the park, to visit friends or to the doctor for regular monitoring and check ups.

- They can assist in bathing and grooming of your elderly loved ones.

* Lastly, you have the chance to spend quality time with your parents or grandparents.

With the advantages of elderly home health care mentioned above, there is no doubt that home health care is the best option available.

Caregivers are expected to be strong and healthy, but what happens if the caregiver gets sick? As the operator of a home care agency, I could always tell when a caregiver who was calling on the phone to order service was at a breaking point. Their voices were very stressed and they were almost in a panic. Often, as they described their situation, you could hear the tears welling up inside of them. These were individuals who have taken on a tremendous load and were in need of support. Unfortunately, they waited too long and the stress of being a caregiver had already taken its toll, but it does not have to be that way.

If you are the primary caregiver of older parents or an ailing spouse, you need to be very careful not to let the situation overwhelm you. While this sounds easier said than done, there are steps you can take to prevent burnout. Here are a few points that can help.

1. Look for help. Allow others to help and don't feel that you have to be the one to do everything. There are numerous ways to get help for your loved one depending on your needs, location and financial situation. Here are a few:
   1. Contact the Office on Aging and ask about respite programs. Usually, most counties have programs that will pay for a limited number of hours of home care services, free of charge. This program is designed to give you a break and allow you to get out of the house.
   2. If you qualify for Medicaid, there may be programs available which would pay for either home care or adult day care services.
   3. If the person has a serious illness, consider hiring hospice. You do not have to wait until the illness is at the end stages to get help.
   4. Ask relatives or close friends to help out.
   
   
2. Get some exercise. Exercise can help you reduces stress, keep your body strong, strengthen your immune system and just make you feel good. Some of the best exercises are walking or biking. These are easy to do, gets your heart rate into the aerobic zone, burns calories and gives you a chance to clear your head. Some excellent mind/body exercises include yoga, tai chi and Qi gong. Make time to exercise and you will reap the rewards.
3. Eat well. Like exercise, eating a well balanced diet helps you feel good, helps avoid being sick and gives you the energy you need to be a caregiver.
4. Learn relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, meditation and some of the mind/body exercise mentioned above can be tremendously helpful. An easy breathing technique is to inhale through your nose four a count of four, filling your belly with air, not your chest. Hold your breath for a count of seven and then exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. Do a few repetitions at a time. This can really help calm the nerves when practiced regularly.
5. Get an adequate amount of sleep. The fastest way to get run down is never getting enough sleep. If you find you are caring for your loved one at night, try to hire a person for overnights if this is possible. If you have siblings, ask them to chip in financially if they are not able to share some of the actual hands on care.

While it can be very difficult to do many of the suggestions listed above, you must understand that if you get run down and sick, the problem is greatly magnified. You must be firm in demanding time to care for yourself and most importantly, you must not feel guilty. You are doing a great and honorable thing by being a caregiver, but it must not completely take over your life.

If you do not know where to turn, consider hiring a professional geriatric care manager. While they can be a bit costly, it is often money well spent as their years of experience are focused on helping seniors and their families when in need.

Lastly, an excellent resource for finding senior related business is a website called CareGrade, found at http://www.caregrade.com. Here you will find a listing of local services and be able to read reviews written by professional geriatric care managers.

There may come a time where you, your parents, or another elderly relative living in the low country of South Carolina, may need the services of a local home health care agency. Nobody wants to become injured or sick, but life happens, and when it does, know that there are great institutions offering home health care in Charleston.

Before approaching the various agencies providing home health care in Charleston, make a list of questions. When talking to the various representatives write down the answers, so you can compare them afterwards. The information you gathered during these conversations will then help you to make an informed decision.

1. What kind of services do you offer? Do they include: bathing and grooming, dressing, light housekeeping, meal planning and preparation, medication reminders, as well as eating and feeding assistance, and incontinence management?
2. Do the caregivers working in home health care in Charleston also take care of pets?
3. Is emotional support available? The loss of their independence can be traumatic for some patients, as well as dealing with their health issues.
4. Do you provide both short and long term assistance? You need to make sure that short term commitments can be extended in case a recovery is not going as smoothly as predicted.
5. Are the caregivers engaged in home health care in Charleston supervised by registered nurses? Do they receive ongoing in-house training?
6. Is professional support staff available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week?
7. Will supervisors and registered nurses always be accessible to answer my questions? Although you may be satisfied with the initial information you received, other concerns may pop up later on. If that happens, you want them answered by professionals you can trust.

Many people don't think about it until it's too late, but home health care is something that you should consider before hospitals or nursing homes become your only option. Realistically, wouldn't you want your children to keep you around after you are unable to take care of yourself, in the comfort of your own home?

If you have not run across the idea of home health care yet in your travels, it combines the best of many worlds of care. The same quality of care a patient would get in a hospital is transferred to a private residence, where the patient is the sole focus of a trained professional on hand.

The person will be trained in many basic and advanced parts of the treatment process, including having knowledge of nutrition, IV's, patient and caregiver processes, occupational and dietary therapy, and a consistent knowledge of anything medically related that specific person needs to be health and safe in the home environment.

If medical agencies are smart, they always have an arm of their service that includes the ability of their staff to go on home health care assignments. This is because is can be beneficial to all parties involved, as the correct utilization of resources saves everyone time and money, and people use that to their advantage.

If you are worried about certain conditions for your parent, here are some things that home health care deals with as well - helping them eat and drink properly, basic cooking and cleaning, checking temperature and breathing, if they need assistance getting into and out of bed, if they need a helping hand with things like bathing or using the bathroom.

One of the first things that you should discuss is the plan of care. That is a document that details all of the daily, short term, and long term aspects of the care, from who is going to take care of what, to the types of medical equipment that needs to be on hand, to deciding which treatments are going to take how long and when results should be seen.

Staff should always be determined to improve their service as well. If you have noticed that your home health care provided has become lazy or does not take as much interest in the client as they should, you should immediately start shopping around for a better place to hire from. Improvement is always the key.

It's not an easy decision sending a loved one to a hospital or nursing home, so make the right choice and instead have the hospital come to you. The service can be excellent, and you'll feel more connected instead of guilty as time goes by and your parents are still happy.

Nurse is one of the noble professions that most of the people need to have in terms of medical assistance and health care. They are being looked up with high respect and appreciation by different race of people with different culture and beliefs.

Nurses can do different tasks according to their trainings and skills. Most of their jobs usually differ according to their practice area and work place. Most of the place and major areas that they usually work on are hospitals, government health centers, nursing home, day care center, home health care center. Home health care center, as it name implies, these nurses are home based nurses that provide health care to private individuals on their homes. They provide health care according to the need of the patient on their home. They do have specialization according to their degrees and trainings.

Nurses who work at private homes do take different patients like those who suffer from chronic illnesses, physical and mental illness, recovering from accidents, terminal injuries like those who need special care due to acquired illness on childbirth. Home care services are being provided for a short time only that is depends on the service approved by the attending physician. Home care nurses are usually associated with private organization and hospital or some do work independently. One of the most special jobs of a home care nurses is their ability to go along with the family members and give them information about the condition of the patient and instruct them what to do in case of emergency.

Once your loved one gets to the point where medical treatment is no longer effective, you move into palliative care mode. That's when Hospice takes over the daily routine of care. this article will inform you of just what Hospice covers.

Terminal patients come in many forms. Elderly patients are sometimes referred to Hospice at the end of their lives to help with the transition to death. Many of these patients have already been in some form of home health and are just moved to being cared for by Hospice. Other reasons for Hospice are terminal illness and injury. Many cancer patients are in Hospice care for the final stages of life.

Hospice care is a lifesaver for most families because they can't afford the care costs associated with long illness. Home health is expensive and hospital stays are even worse. Hospice provides medical equipment such as beds, walkers, wheel chairs, and ventilators. These costs alone can overwhelm a family under any circumstances. Add in the impending death of a loved one and it becomes unmanageable. Also, many times family members will take leaves of absence from work in the time that their spouse or parent is under Hospice care. With no work, the free medical equipment is a gift from the heavens. Medications and doctor visits are also free once a person qualifies for Hospice.

Hospice offers much more than just medical care. They have grief counselors and clergy on call for families of ill patients. Their goal is to counsel everyone involved to make the situation as painless as possible. Often you will get visits at home from your nurse and your counselor. The counselors speak with the entire family, together and individually. This is a great way to get everything out in the open with each other and express your fears.

Hospice has different stages of care. Patients progress through these stages at different speeds. Most Hospice centers use a color coded system for identifying teams. Others use numbers, like 1-4, to depict the level of care needed. In the beginning, lower stages require minimal care and visits. They set you up with your equipment and give you the information you will need. As you progress through the program you get more in depth care. Visits increase and so do phone calls. They take it upon themselves to keep a constant line of communication with you. Toward the end your home health provider may transfer some of their low level cases to another caregiver.

Several forces are coming together which will expand the home health care industry in Connecticut.

Governor Malloy is expanding the MFP ( Money Follows the Person) program. This is a federal reform program that aims to reduce the number of patients on Medicaid in expensive institutional healthcare settings. It focuses on moving people out of long-term care facilities and placing them back into their homes where most elderly people prefer to reside. The Connecticut legislature has approved new regulations for the home health care industry that will allow nurses to delegate medication administration to home health aides that are working with patients in their homes. All of these changes are designed to benefit the elderly and to improve quality of life and expand the elderly population that can reside at home with assistance. These are all positive things for health challenged individuals, providing the proper community support is available. This was not the case when the state decided that mental health patients belonged in the community and not in chronic care facilities. Community support was grossly inadequate in the 1980s when the state deinstitutionalized patients from psychiatric hospitals, producing disastrous results for many communities and individuals. Hopefully this most recent plan to transition people into the community has taken into account the need for expanded home health care services.

A second shift in the state's public health policy that has started to effect the home health care industry is in the area of informed risk. Informed risk is basically a policy stating that a person who may not be deemed safe to stay at home is allowed to remain at home as long as patient and family acknowledge that the patient is at greater risk of injury at home as opposed to a facility. It is an honoring of the patient's wishes as opposed to what the agency may feel is the best plan of care for the individual. Up until recently if a person was deemed unsafe in their home environment the home care agency would not support the person remaining at home. In other words they would refuse to provide services. Now the state is promoting keeping people at risk in their homes, providing that they are mentally sound, and they have acknowledged the fact that they are assuming greater risk by staying at home.

Even with good agency oversight it is inevitable that these shifts regarding informed risk and allowing non nurses to give medications will lead to an increase in injuries, accidental overdoses, misuse of medications as well as negligence and/or abuse. Agency staff will need to carefully document risk assessment and delegation of duties. Careful monitoring and good case management will help minimize errors and limit abuse and neglect in this population however the home care industry is certain to have an increase in liability hence the possibility of increasing nursing malpractice claims.

With the first wave of baby boomers starting to retire, the number of senior citizens in Connecticut continues to expand. The need for experienced home health care experts will continue to grow as well.

Home Health Care Nursing Information and Overview

Home health care is allowing the patient and their family to maintain dignity and independence. According to the National Association for Home Care, there are more than 7 million individuals in the United States in need of home health care nurse services because of acute illness, long term health problems, permanent disability or terminal illness.

Home Health Care Basics

Nurses practice in a number of venues: Hospital settings, nursing homes, assisted living centers, and home health care. Home health care nursing is a growing phenomenon as more patients and their families desire to receive care in their homes. The history of home health care stems from Public Health Nursing where public health nurses made home visits to promote health education and provide treatment as part of community outreach programs. Today academic programs train nurses in home care and agencies place home health care nurses with ailing individuals and their families depending on the nurse's experience and qualifications. In many cases there is a shared relationship between the agency and the academic institution.

Many changes have taken place in the area of home health care. These include Medicare and Medicaid, and Long Term Care insurance reimbursement and documentation. It is important for the nurse and nursing agency to be aware of the many factors involved for these rules and regulations resulting from these organizations. Population and demographic changes are taking place as well. Baby boomers approaching retirement and will present new challenges for the home health care industry. Technology and medical care in hospitals has lead to shorter inpatient stay and more at-home rehabilitation. Increases in medical outpatient procedures are also taking place with follow-up home care. This has resulted in the decrease of mortality rate from these technologies and medical care has lead to increases in morbidity and chronic illness that makes the need for home health care nursing a greater priority.

Home Health Care Nurse Job Description

Through an array of skills and experience, home health care nurses specialize in a wide range of treatments; emotional support, education of patients who are recovering from illnesses and injury for young children and adults, to women who have experienced recent childbirth, to the elderly who need palliative care for chronic illness.

A practicing nurse must have the skills to provide care in a unique setting such as someone's home. The nurse is working with the patient and the family and must understand the communication skills for such dynamics. Rapport is evident in all nursing positions, but working in a patient's own living space needs a different level of skill and understanding. There is autonomous decision making as the nurse is no longer working as a team with other nurses in a structured environment, but is now as a member of the "family" team. The host family has cultural values that are important and are different for every patient and must be treated with extreme sensitivity. Other skills include critical thinking, coordination, assessment, communication, and documentation.

Home health care nurses also specialize in the care of children with disabilities that requires additional skills such as patience and understanding of the needs of the family. Children are living with disabilities today that would have resulted in mortality just twenty years ago. Genetic disorders, congenital physical impairments, and injury are just a few. Many families are familiar with managing the needs of the child, but still need expert care that only a home health care nurse can provide. It is important that a home health care nurse is aware of the expertise of the family about the child's condition for proper care of the child. There are many complexities involved, but most important, a positive attitude and positive reinforcement is of utmost importance for the development of the child.

Medication coordination between the home health care nurse, doctor, and pharmacist, ensures proper management of the exact science behind giving the patient the correct dose, time of administration, and combinations. Home health care nurses should be familiar with pharmacology and taught in training about different medications used by patients in the clinical setting.

Many advanced practicing nurses are familiar with medication regiments. They have completed graduate level programs. Home health care agencies believe that a nurse should have at least one year of clinical experience before entering home health care. Advanced practicing nurses can expedite that training by helping new nurses understand the home health care market and teaching.

Employment and Salary

According to the United States Department of Labor, there were 2.4 million nurses in America, the largest healthcare occupation, yet many academic and hospital organizations believe there is a gross shortage in nursing staff. The shortage of nurses was 6% in 2000 and is expected to be 10% in 2010. The average salary for hospital nursing is $53,450 with 3 out of 5 nursing jobs are in the hospital. For home health care, the salary is $49,000. For nursing care facilities, they were the lowest at $48,200.

Training and continuing education

Most home health care nurses gain their education through accredited nursing schools throughout the country with an associate degree in nursing (ADN), a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN), or a master's degree in nursing (MSN). According to the United States Department of Labor, in 2004 there were 674 BSN nursing programs, 846 ADN programs. Also, in 2004, there were 417 master's degree programs, 93 doctoral programs, and 46 joint BSN-doctoral programs. The associate degree program takes 2 to 3 years to complete, while bachelors degrees take 4 years to complete. Nurses can also earn specialized professional certificates online in Geriatric Care or Life Care Planning.

In addition, for those nurses who choose to pursue advancement into administrative positions or research, consulting, and teaching, a bachelor's degree is often essential. A bachelor's degree is also important for becoming a clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (U.S. Department of Labor, 2004).

All home health care nurses have supervised clinical experience during their training, but as stated earlier advanced practicing nurses hold master's degrees and unlike bachelor and associate degrees, they have a minimum of two years of post clinical experience. Course work includes anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, psychology, and behavioral sciences and liberal arts. Many of these programs have training in nursing homes, public health departments, home health agencies, and ambulatory clinics. (U.S. Dep. of Labor, 2004).

Whether a nurse is training in a hospital, nursing facility, or home care, continuing education is necessary. Health care is changing rapidly and staying abreast with the latest developments enhances patient care and health procedures. Universities, continuing education programs, and internet sites, all offer continuing education. One such organization that provides continuing education is the American Nurses Association (ANA) or through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Conclusion

There are many rewards to becoming a home health care nurse. Some rewards include the relationship with a patient and their family, autonomy, independence, and engaging in critical thinking. The 21st Century brings with it many opportunities and challenges. We must meet these challenges head on - there is an aging baby boomer population, a growing morbidity factor due to increased medical technology and patient care, and the growing shortage in nursing care.

Becoming a home health care nurse today is exciting and an opportunity to make a difference one life at a time. With clinical experience and proper education, a home health care nurse will lead the future of medical care.

Recovering from an illness or injury can be a stressful time for both the patient and the patient's family. That stress is compounded when chronic illness or disability is involved. Research has consistently shown that, when at all possible, recovering at home is the best option for the patient's physical and mental health. Unfortunately, when the patient is elderly or too injured or ill to care for themselves, recovering at home is sometimes not an option.

Finding friends or family members to assist with daily tasks is not always feasible. Even when family members are in a position to assist, the burden placed on them often puts a strain on their other family relationships, as well as their career and personal life. The alternative to home recovery-having their loved one leave their home to life in a medical facility or nursing home-is often a last and regretful resort.

Luckily, there is another way for patients to remain in their beloved homes while receiving quality health care assistance: Home Health Care. Recent technological advance such as the internet and home infusion have made home health care available to many more patients than in the past. According to the National Association for Home Care, there are approximately 20,000 home health care providers today. While almost two-thirds of home care recipients are seniors over 65, home health care can assist anyone who requires some assistance while recovering from an illnesses or suffering a disability.

Here are some benefits of home health care:

o Seniors can continue living in their own familiar, comfortable environment
o Dignity and independence is maintained
o Patients receive one on one attention and care from the home health caregiver
o Home health care is often less expensive than care in nursing homes / assisted living facilities
o It relieves the burden placed on adult children to provide care for their aging parents

Most people prefer receiving care in a familiar setting where they are surrounded by love, patience and understanding people. Home health care providers help strengthen and increase the patient's ability to care for themselves in their homes. They can also have a positive impact on a patient's hopes and aspirations.