In specific scenarios, looking after a loved one can take a considerable amount of energy, time, focus, and financial resources. And, sometimes, professional help is recommended.
Nursing is a diverse field with many distinctive types of professionals. When considering hiring one either for yourself or a loved one, you want you to ensure you are as educated as possible in your search for a nurse. But be sure to consult with your doctor before you hire someone.
Being a nurse in everyday life can be really handy. for example, if something goes wrong like someone collapses or begins to be sick, a nurse will know what to do. Athona is a medical recruitment agency so if you were interested in becoming a nurse that is the perfect place for you to go.
Here are five typical scenarios when a nurse is paramount.
Scenario 1: Primary Companion Care
Primary companion care provides seniors who are generally healthy and who want to remain independent at home with a friend and a companion to share activities, conversation, recreation, and other daily activities.
This type of service covers a range of different duties and responsibilities that make the lives of seniors easier. For example, if a senior needs someone to come by several times a week for a few hours to help with errands, housework, and to walk their dog.
Primary companion care is the most cost-effective nursing option. Home care services are an excellent option for seniors who live on their own and may be isolated from others. An important benefit of having a companion is that seniors who engage in conversation and play games with others continue to stimulate their brains which, studies show, can help delay the effects of dementia.
Common primary companion care tasks include:
- Assistance with daily living activities including dressing/undressing, grooming, toileting, bathing, and eating
- Cooking meals with the nutritional needs of the senior in mind
- Providing companionship to someone who has lost their social connections
- Medication management and getting prescriptions filled and picked up
- Providing reminders for medication and other tasks throughout the day
Skilled nursing care includes:
- Wound Care
- IV Therapy – Medication Administration
- Foley Catheter Care and Management
- Stoma Care
- Tube Feedings
Scenario 2: Rehabilitative Care
Rehabilitative care and physical therapy can help people of all ages who have injuries, illnesses, or medical conditions that limit their natural ability to move and function.
By having a customized physical therapy program, individuals can work towards returning to their prior level of functioning. A rehabilitative care worker will encourage activities and lifestyle changes that can help prevent further injury and improve overall health and well-being.
Benefits of Rehabilitative Care:
- Reduces or eliminates pain
- May help to avoid surgery
- Improves mobility
- Aids stroke recovery
- Prevents further sports injuries
- Manages age-related issues
Other options for additional support:
- Speech Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Senior Care Companion
- Speech-Language Pathologist
Scenario 3: Maternity, Newborn and Premature Care
Maternity care ensures you and your baby receive all the extra support you both need to start your life together as thrivingly as possible outside the hospital. Depending on what you and your newborn need, an experienced registered nurse can provide you with a variety of medical services, including:
- Postpartum education for newborn care (including bathing, feeding, cord/circumcision care, infant safety and more)
- Fluid nutritional intake assessment
- Temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure monitoring
- Fundal height and position measurement
- Examination of the condition of your breasts, episiotomy, lochia, perineum, tubal ligation of C-section incisions
- Bowel and bladder function assessment
- Necessary newborn assessment services – particularly for infants who previously required care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
You might want to consider this form of care if you or your baby experience any of these pre- or post-delivery conditions: apnea, asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), cerebral palsy, congenital conditions, developmental delays, diabetes, drug-exposed infants, high-risk pregnancy, neurological conditions, prematurity, reflux, spina bifida, wounds.
Benefits of Maternal-Newborn Home Care:
- Establish stable feedings and infant nutrition
- Stabilize your postpartum situation
- Improve mother-baby bonding
- Further education regarding infant care and newborn management
Scenario 4: Stroke Patient Care
Each year, almost 800,000 Americans experience a stroke, but many stroke survivors make a full recovery with no or minor long-term effects.
Usually, rehabilitation therapy will begin in the hospital as soon as a patient’s medical condition is stable, but there must also be a plan for continuing rehabilitation and care. Support services are often required to ensure continued rehabilitation.
Depending on the patient’s needs, this may include:
- Speech-language therapy to regain language and communication skills and address swallowing problems.
- Occupational therapy to help patients relearn or establish adaptive strategies for performing the skills of daily living, such as eating, walking, and dressing.
- Physical therapy to help restore bodily functions and treat problems with movement, balance, and coordination.
- Mental health counseling to help the patient cope with emotional and behavioral changes that sometimes occur after a stroke
Scenario 5: In-Home Child Care
Regardless of your situation, whether you and your partner are working full- or part-time, you have several child care options available to you, including a babysitter, a home daycare provider, and a daycare center.
In-home family child care is an enticing option for many families because the care setting is mostly a home away from home. Children can receive care in an environment that they are used to at their own home, complete with a living room, play area, kitchen, backyard, and bathrooms.
Benefits of In-Home Child Care:
- Child-provider ratio is small
- In-home providers typically treat the children as extended members of their own family
- A small (and manageable) number of children makes it easier to do family outings or story hour
- Meals served family-style in a central dining area
- Comfort, familiarity, and small group activities
- Parents and providers can work as a team
While looking after a sick loved one, many people forget to look after themselves leading them to become burned out or ill. Hiring a professional can help take some of the burdens off your own shoulders. After all, it does take a village!
About The Author:
Ibrahim Khader founded Angels of Medical Care in 2010. The name “Angels” was chosen because of his belief that nurses are angels of healing and care with the blessings of the creator. The company has flourished and is now one of the best, most renowned home care companies in Dubai.
