Soon enough what once felt manageable becomes another stressful thing to tackle each day. All while you’re working, parenting, caring for yourself, and caring for your loved one.
As a patient, things can feel overwhelming on your end as well. While it feels nice to be in the comfort of your home recovering, you may feel uneasy about the smallest changes in your symptoms.
You have to manage your medications and preexisting conditions, take showers by yourself (or with limited mobility), move around safely, remember doctor’s appointments, and so much more. Families often feel as though they aren’t doing enough to help, and you as a patient may feel like you’re becoming a burden to your loved ones.
At-home nursing is a way to bridge that gap. It’s not about taking care of your loved one instead of your family. Home health allows your loved one to feel safe, comfortable, and independent in the comfort of their own home. But what does home health actually provide?
Let’s dive into what at-home nursing services can offer your family.
Understanding At-Home Nursing Care
Many families begin their search for support by typing something like “ home nurse near me” into a search engine, often during a moment when care at home suddenly feels more complicated than expected. At-home nursing care is exactly what it sounds like — skilled nursing support provided to patients in their own homes.
Understanding the difference between home nursing and home care is also important. While many will use these terms interchangeably, they refer to two distinct types of services. Home nursing is performed by qualified medical professionals who can offer support and assistance with medication, wound care, health monitoring, post-surgery care, and anything else that would typically be handled by a nurse or doctor.
Home care instead refers to non-clinical care such as assistance with cleaning, meal prep, running errands, providing transportation, or simply spending time with a loved one. Home care providers do not have the qualifications to handle medical needs, which is why at-home nurses are a must for those requiring clinical support or health supervision.
At-home nurses will often come from teams of trained individuals with various qualifications and responsibilities. For example, RNs typically handle the majority of medical care, including going over complex care needs with doctors or specialists and managing treatment regimens. ENs typically focus on routine clinical care, checking in on patients to ensure their well-being and helping with continued treatments.
Support staff or PCAs will often support nursing staff by providing help with mobility, personal hygiene, hygiene aids, and more comfortable day-to-day tasks. A team-based approach to at-home care allows patients to get everything they need while family members gain some support instead of shouldering the responsibility of complex needs on their own.
Who Can Benefit From At-Home Nursing?
Home care nursing supports more than just the critically ill or those fresh out of hospital. Patients and families of all kinds can use at-home nursing to face day-to-day living with greater ease, safety and peace of mind.
For patients who need clinical care or assistance but don’t want to, or shouldn’t have to be, stationed at a hospital or care facility, at-home nursing provides a middle ground. Patients can still spend their time comfortably in their own space while receiving the high-quality medical support they need to continue recovering, staying on top of lifelong health concerns, or simply remaining independent later in life.
Seniors hoping to age in place, for example, can gain the additional professional assistance they need to keep living life at home instead of moving into assisted living. Many families describe it as a new era for aged care, where personalised medical attention comes to the home rather than requiring seniors to leave the life they’ve built.
Patients in palliative care can also face enormous benefits from having skilled, compassionate nurses on-site. Beyond the technical benefits of symptom control and ensuring patients’ comfort, at-home nurses can give family members hope and support while they care for their loved ones.
Common At-Home Nursing Services
The beauty of at-home nursing is that services are specific to each patient's needs. These services can include everything from checking vitals, to administering medications, to lifting and assisting with mobility. At-home nursing allows your loved one to receive the care they need in the comfort of their own home.
Below, we break down some of the most common services you can expect from a skilled home nursing team:
Medication Management
Keeping up with medications can be one of the biggest hurdles in at-home nursing. Managing prescriptions takes on a whole new level of importance when patients are taking several medications throughout the day. Having someone to keep medications organised and dispense them when necessary can be helpful in ensuring your loved one takes their medicine on time and avoids double-dosing. Nurses can also help identify side effects or negative reactions to certain medications before they turn into serious problems.
Having your nurse work with your local pharmacy can be another huge time saver and resource. As Victorian pharmacies provide more access to healthcare services, allowing your nurse to pick up prescriptions and consult with the pharmacist allows them to educate your loved one about new medications as well.
Wound Care and Post-Surgical Support
Going home after surgery or with a wound can seem intimidating. It's scary because anything you do can mess it up. Home care nurses can come to your house and change dressings. They make sure wounds are cleaned properly and bandaged correctly so they do not become infected. Nurses are trained to identify problems with wound healing before they become noticeable to the patient.
They can give you pointers on how much activity is too much, how to control your pain, and tricks to get through your day. After surgery or with a wound, in-home nursing care can significantly speed up the healing process, allow you to feel more comfortable in your own home, and prevent readmission.
Chronic Disease Monitoring
Patients living with chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease or respiratory issues may require regular monitoring. At-home nursing allows healthcare professionals to track vital signs, review symptoms, and assist with treatment management daily, instead of checking in once a week.
Registered nurses work hand in hand with physicians and specialists to provide patients with the best care by getting timely answers to aid in their decision-making. Chronic disease management allows for interventions to occur early and avoid any emergencies. This is one of the reasons why Australia ranks so high for their management of chronic illness.
Home healthcare systems allow for patients to remain regulated and healthy in the comfort of their own homes. Chronic disease monitoring allows your family to breathe a little easier.
Personal Care and Daily Support
Home health care also involves assisting with daily living. This could mean bathing, getting dressed, or assisting with walking. Families want to help their loved ones, but it can become frustrating if you're not sure what you're doing. Home nurses can jump in to assist while keeping your loved one's independence and dignity in mind.
Accidents can be prevented with daily living assistance. Home health nurses are trained in fall prevention. They create a plan to avoid falls, watch for decreased strength or balance, and take precautions to keep your loved one safe. They can help prevent injuries that could possibly regress the hard work they've put into getting better or living independently. Assistance with daily living also allows your loved one to stay as independent as possible while doing the things they love.
When Families Should Consider At-Home Nursing
It can be difficult to know when it is time to bring a nurse into your home. The following scenarios are common examples when professional care comes in handy. Sometimes after leaving the hospital patients are given a short timeframe to recover. Home nurses allow for expert care to watch over you and your loved one during these times to ensure that no setbacks occur. Having home nursing care can help you avoid readmission, gain your confidence back about your daily life, and feel safer.
Caregivers also look into hiring at-home nurses if their loved one’s needs have increased. Maybe they take more medications now, experience symptoms that come and go, or have mobility issues. Family caregivers want to provide the best care for their loved ones but can become overwhelmed. Sometimes they may not have the experience to provide the type of care you may need. Home nurses can help alleviate some of that stress and allow you to feel safe.
At-home nursing focuses on you being in your home. You spend your time recovering or managing illnesses in the comfort of your own home. You have your favourite things around you and can keep your normal routine as much as you like. Plus, you are surrounded by your loved ones rather than strangers in a hospital or care facility. You receive one-on-one care that is customised to you and your family’s needs.
Supporting Health, Independence, and Peace of Mind
At-home nursing can aid in the recovery process, assist with daily needs, and improve the quality of life for both you and your family. Home health nurses can help you maintain your independence by monitoring your health, helping with personal care, and offering encouragement. They can provide your loved ones with the extra support and assistance they need while reassuring them that you are in good hands. At-home nursing cares for your medical needs while taking your emotional needs into consideration.
Providing at-home nursing is the balance between caring for your medical conditions and taking care of your mental health. At-home nursing can offer relief to you and your family by offering comfort and reducing stress. If you or a loved one is recovering from an illness or surgery, dealing with a chronic condition, or in need of palliative care, there are many benefits to having nursing care come to you.
Home nursing allows you to live your life to the fullest while doing it safely.
