Home health care services are one of the most valuable ways to keep your dad from having to go to or return to a hospital. Check out the value of home health care after an illness, injury, or chronic health condition affects your dad’s well-being.
Dietary Education
Your dad’s health requires him to pay more attention to his diet. He may need to avoid all sugar and processed foods. Or, his heart-healthy diet requires him to focus on produce and whole grains. Nurses can teach him this and also help family caregivers better understand how to prepare meals that match his dietary needs.
Medication Administration
Your dad has several medications to take, and they need to be administered properly for them to work. Some have to be taken an hour before a meal, others have to be taken during a meal. He has pills to take with milk and others that require a full glass of water.
As he starts taking new pills, he worries about the side effects. Nurses help with medication administration and are there to monitor his body’s reaction to the new pill.
Incision and Wound Care
Nurses can clean and dress wounds. They can also check incisions and healing wounds for signs of infection. If there seem to be any issues, a nurse will clean the wound and alert the doctor.
Health Assessments
Your dad’s doctor requested that he have his pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation levels checked daily. He may need to have his breathing rate monitored or his blood sugar levels checked and recorded.
If your dad is having mental health issues, his nurse can assess his mental health and alert his doctor if his anxiety and depression seem to be increasing. The sooner these common mental health concerns are caught, the earlier he can develop an effective treatment plan.
Injections and IVs
Your dad needs injections as part of his treatment plan. He might have a condition that requires IV infusions of nutrients or fluids. A nurse with a home health care agency can do that.
His nurse could come to his home and help with insulin injections or administer vaccinations that he needs but cannot leave the home to get. If he needs blood drawn for a test, that can be an option, too.
Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapies
What led to your dad needing home health care services? If he had a stroke, he can have therapists come to his home to work with him on the exercises and training he needs to relearn skills like speech, balance, and movements.
If your dad fell and broke his hip, he needs the help of a physical therapist to regain strength and mobility. He may also need instruction on the proper use of a cane or walker while he adjusts to his new hip joint.
For a chronic health condition like Alzheimer’s, your dad will need speech therapy to help with swallowing and communication skills. He may need occupational therapy to maintain his independence for as long as possible. Physical therapists can help him with balance and stability as his depth perception worsens.
Home health care provides the medical care your dad needs while recovering from an illness, injury, or chronic condition. Learn more by making a call.
