If you need help caring for your family members, you should consider hiring in-home skilled nursing care to assist you.
Home health nurses work with a wide range of patients with different medical needs in the comfort of the patient’s homes. These healthcare professionals will monitor your loved one’s health, administer medication, treat wounds, and similar.
Let’s take a closer look at the responsibilities of home health nurses, as well as how they can help care for your family member and provide them the quality of life they deserve.
What is Home Health Care Nursing?
Home health care nursing includes providing one-on-one care for individuals in their own homes. The position of a home health nurse can be filled by CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants), (LPNs) Licensed Practical Nurses, or RNs (Registered Nurses).
People choose to hire home health nurses for various reasons. For example, some hire these professionals to take care of their elderly, disabled, or terminally ill loved ones. They want to ensure their loved ones receive the best possible care.
Others will hire a home health nurse to provide medical care to patients recovering from an injury, surgery, or an accident. Skilled nursing care can also be hired for patients who need medical supervision but don’t want to or don’t require being in an institutional setting.
Some pregnant women or new mothers will also hire a home health nurse to provide ongoing care and support. As you can see, home healthcare nursing involves helping patients with various medical needs.
Some patients will need assistance with basic requirements, such as dressing, feeding, basic hygiene needs, and other activities of daily living. On the other hand, others will require specialized home health care services, such as administering medication, wound care, and responding to medical emergencies.
Home health nursing – Different Types
The different types of home health care nursing include:
- Assistant care providers – They offer non-medical supportive care. The services include helping patients with personal care, including activities of daily living, grocery shopping, light housekeeping, and meal prepping.
- Personal care aides – they do everything assistive care providers do, plus organizing for transportation. However, they don’t provide medical assistance.
- Home health aides – they help with activities of daily living and offer health care services like medication management and monitoring vital signs.
- Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) – they deliver short or long-term care to patients with medical conditions and help with daily living activities.
- Skilled care providers – This can include physical therapy and healthcare nurses. They often oversee the care provided by care providers. They perform tasks requiring advanced training and knowledge.
- Registered nurses – They run assessments, create care plans, offer home nursing care, and supervise other home nursing team members.
Responsibilities of a home health nurse?
The responsibilities of a home health nurse may include the following activities:
- Administering medications
- Assisting with pain management
- Cleaning, dressing, and redressing wounds
- Evaluating the patient’s health
- Coordinating with physicians, physical therapists, and other health advisors
- Creating an individualized care plan
- Documenting various symptoms and vital signs
- Giving suggestions on improving safety at home
- Instructing patients and their loved ones on proper home care
- Providing support and encouragement to patients
- Responding to medical emergencies
These are just some of the responsibilities a home health nurse may provide. If you need to hire healthcare providers to take care of you or your loved one, make sure to discuss the medical services you will require.
What is the Difference Between Home Health Nursing and Hospital Nursing?
Home health nursing and hospital nursing are very similar, but there are some key differences between these two services. The main differences include:
- Responsibilities. Home health nurses focus on improving the patient’s health in their daily life instead of waiting for them to become unwell before providing assistance. On the other hand, nurses in a hospital setting work to save and enhance the patients’ lives at the time.
- Treatments and cures. Home health nurses usually care for patients with chronic illnesses and long-term health problems that can be treated and managed. On the other hand, hospital nurses focus on healing ailments and finding a cure.
- Time duration. Home health nurses will care for the patient as long as care is needed. Hospital nurses will treat and take care of the patient until the patient’s injury or disease is treated or temporarily alleviated, and that’s when the services end.
Advantages of hiring a home health nursing service
Deciding to use home health nursing services can be very beneficial to the patient. Many people tend to recover better when they are in the comfort of their homes instead of in a hospital setting.
Here are the primary benefits you will experience from hiring a home health nurse for your loved one:
- Reduced risk of infections. Unfortunately, patients are exposed to infections in hospitals, which is especially dangerous for those who have had surgery or are more sensitive to the risk of relapse. On the other hand, home health nursing helps patients heal faster and better due to decreased exposure to infections.
- Familiar environment. In-home nursing care provides the patient with the needed medical care in familiar surroundings. Recovering in the comfort of your own home helps you relax and relieve stress, whereas spending time in a hospital can have an adverse impact on your mental health.
- Customized care. When you hire a home health nurse to care for your beloved family member, you can expect them to create a personalized care plan that matches your loved person’s needs and unique circumstances. Everything is adapted to the patient’s independence and specific requirements.
As you can see, working with a home health nurse has many benefits and will help improve your loved one’s quality of life.
Where does a home health nurse work?
As we already mentioned, home health nurses provide one-on-one care in the patients’ homes. However, they can work in a variety of settings, including home care organizations, hospice agencies, retirement communities, insurance companies, hospital systems, and medical centers.
Qualities of a good home health nurse ?
Qualities of a good home health nurse include:
- Compassion – they should care about how the patient feels and the impact they have on their recovery
- Strong communication skills – they should be able to interpret and convey information correctly. Patients feel misinformed and neglected without good communication, and medical errors occur.
- Empathy – empathy allows nurses to treat their patients like people pushing them to have a person-centered care
- Attention to detail – Attention to detail reduces the chances of errors when delivering medical care.
- Problem-solving skills – split decisions may greatly impact a patient’s recovery or make the situation worse.
- Time management – Balancing responsibilities and competing priorities isn’t easy in short timelines. Effective time management ensures quality care is delivered within reasonable timelines.
Thinking about hiring a home health nurse?
If you want to keep your loved ones safe and healthy and ensure they receive the best possible care, you should consider hiring a home health nurse. Home nursing offers a wide range of benefits to the patient and will help improve their life quality. Feel free to reach out to Trusted Touch Healthcare to discuss your loved one’s needs, and we will create an Nursing care plan specifically for them.
