If you or a loved one has suffered an illness or accident that requires the assistance of a skilled nurse, you may still not need to have those services offered in a hospital setting. Many patients continue to receive skilled nursing care at home, in a more comfortable and familiar setting. Many studies have shown, in fact, that patients who can remain in their own homes while still receiving the high-quality nursing care they need are able to achieve better recovery outcomes than those who endure prolonged hospital stays. Naturally, every patient is different, but the vast majority of patients who have gone through a hospital stay are far happier, more comfortable and able to make greater recovery strides if they can feel the comforts of home and supportive family around them.
Nursing Care at Home is More Affordable
Another thing that relieves some of the burden of recovering from an injury or illness is knowing that it is far less expensive to stay at home and recover with the right type of care than it is to remain in the hospital. Hospital stays can be alarmingly expensive and place huge financial worries on the patient and their family. In addition, hospitals, under their own financial stresses, often find themselves in a position of discharging patients back home who still need nursing care, or who have not yet fully recovered—only to have these same patients back in the hospital with further complications because they did not receive the proper follow-up care. All of this stress can be detrimental to the patient’s rehabilitation curve. The good news is that insurance and Medicare are often willing to cover the expenses of nursing care at home when it is the right option for the patient. This ensures that patients continue to recover under the care of a skilled nursing team while at home, which often results in fewer re-hospitalizations. This is why so many more families are choosing to help their loved ones recover in their own homes than in a more institutional setting.
What is Included in Nursing Care at Home?
Many things that are done in the hospital can also be done at home with the right skilled nursing staff to help. Some of these treatments include:
- Health check visits from registered nurses
- Administering of medications and medication instructions and set up for family
- Injections such as insulin and others
- Wound care and changing of dressings
- Catheter care
- Tube feedings
- Ostomy and colostomy care
- Hospice support
Basically, any care that may be given by a registered nurse can be done through skilled nursing care at home.
Who Can Receive Skilled Nursing Care at Home?
At Home Personal Care provides nursing care at home for patients of any age who are in need of these services. This includes anyone who has suffered a severe illness or injury from which they need assistance recovering. It includes many elderly patients needing personal nursing care assistance in their own homes. It also includes children and babies just discharged from PICU or the NICU as well. In short, if you or a loved one still needs skilled nursing care, but that care can be provided in your own home, then you may indeed be eligible for these services.
To learn more about your options, please contact the At Home Personal Care skilled nursing team at (703) 330-2323.