Wound care is just one of the many types of nursing services offered by Medicare-certified home health care providers. It’s important to understand what wound care consists of and how it can be most helpful to both you and to your elderly family member after she’s injured or has surgery.
Treating the Wound Itself
Depending on the severity of the wound itself, it may need treatment. There are a variety of ways that your senior’s wound may be treated, with specific types of dressings, ointments, and cleaning methods required. Keeping any wound clean and disinfected is crucial in order to avoid infection. Doing that yourself may not be something that feels possible, so having an expert providing nursing assistance is invaluable.
Recognizing and Reporting Possible Signs of Infection
Very often signs of infection in a wound are obvious. Your senior’s skin around the wound might be red or hot to the touch. Or there may be blood or other fluids weeping from the wound that indicate there’s more going on. But sometimes the signs of infection are more subtle. Home health care providers take detailed notes and may also take pictures of wounds, which allows them to recognize a problem very quickly.
Educating Caregivers and the Patient about Wound Care
The more that you and your elderly family member know and understand about taking care of your senior’s wound, the better. Home health care providers are uniquely qualified to be able to explain to you exactly what you need to be aware of concerning your elderly family member’s health and how to take the best care possible of her wound. If you have questions, you can always ask.
Continuing to Visit and Maintain Observations about the Wound
As your elderly family member’s wound continues to heal, home health care providers will continue to visit and keep an eye on the progress. If your senior’s doctor needs updates about what’s going on, home health care providers can take care of that for your senior. These periodic observations can be helpful, too, from the standpoint that from your perspective, things may not be improving much. You can get an objective point of view.
Home health care providers can be an incredible help when your aging family member is dealing with a wound at home. With their assistance, your elderly family member may be able to heal wounds that have stubbornly resisted treatment.
