Your dad is getting older and it’s getting hard to ignore that his health is changing. After his last trip to the doctor, it’s determined that he has high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. You’re not sure what happens next, but one thing his doctor recommended was to bring in home health care services for a few weeks.
What is home health care? How is that going to help him with the changes he needs to make?
Things Home Health Care Nurses Can Do
When you’re talking about home health care, it’s care that is medically indicated and requires specialized medical training. LNAs, LPNs, and RNs often provide these services. For physical therapy services, your dad may have a physical therapist come to his home.
Nurses are trained to administer vaccinations and injectable medications. They can set up an IV line for fluids and medications. If your dad has a catheter or needs one, a nurse can take care of it without him having to go to the hospital.
Home health care nurses can help with oxygen treatments and feeding tubes. If your dad has a cut or incision that needs care, his nurse can take care of it. Nurses can clean wounds, check for signs of infection, and apply new bandages.
While your dad’s medical team is monitoring how well different medications work, his home health care nurse will administer medications and monitor him for reactions. His doctors get reports and doses or medications are easily changed to find the ones that work the best.
If your dad’s doctor wants him to check his vitals each day, a nurse is equipped with the instruments needed to take his temperature, check his blood pressure, and monitor his oxygen saturation level. His nurse can track his breathing rate and pulse, too.
Your dad may need someone to teach him how to check his blood sugar levels and what to make that will keep his blood sugar levels stable. Home health care services offer diabetes education.
As he has heart disease and needs to learn how to plan and prepare heart-healthy meals, that’s possible with home health care, too. Not only will your dad learn, but family caregivers can learn at the same time.
Home Care Isn’t the Same
If you’re looking for nursing services, you want home health care. If you are looking for someone to clean the home, do the laundry, and help him with showers and dressing, you need home care services. These are tasks a home care aide addresses. They do not require medical training.
When your dad needs help with medical care, home health care nurses are there to help. It keeps him from returning to the hospital, having to leave the home for physical therapy sessions, and eases stress and anxiety by helping him in a setting where he’s most comfortable.
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring Home Health Care in Wheaton, IL, please contact the caring staff at A Mishle Group Services, Inc. today. at (630) 888-6644