subject: Home Health Care: Figure On It [print this page] It makes many people uncomfortable to think that someday they may have to put a loved one in a hospital or nursing home, so why not start thinking of an alternative before you get to that point - home health care may be the answer to your worries, if you consider the options.
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.
Many, if not most, medical agencies have some sort of home health care options available. From small neighborhood clinics to huge corporate entities, there are almost always options available to have care come to you, as it can work out better for the other company as well concerning resources and space available. Hospitals can get full, too.
Home health care isn't necessarily just medical either. There are certain things they can take care of like cooking, cleaning, getting into and out of bed, and bathing. In addition, staff can act like friends as well, giving a client a sense of social connection when other friends may not be available anymore for that kind of comfort.
There is an overriding document involved in the process as well, and it is referred to as the plan of care. All professional, clients, and patients should be aware of what is on this plan, as it details everything from equipment to personnel to basic timelines of when someone is expected to improve on their condition. All changes need to be verified by everyone.
Improvements to the process should be made on almost a daily basis. Part of the good thing about being human is that you can always look at mistakes and think of what you could be doing better, and home health care professionals who should constantly be on that path. If not, hire someone new.
If nursing homes or hospitals don't sound like options you would approve of, consider home health care to be a viable choice. Let the senior citizens in your life retire comfortably in their own homes, and they won't leave you with that feeling of guilt that occasionally comes from lack of commitment.
