For many seniors, recovering from a fall or hospital stay due to heart attack or other sudden medical event can be difficult, but it hardly seems worth it to move to an assisted living facility for such a temporary situation. Fortunately, in home skilled nursing care is an option. Rather than going through the cost of nursing homes, many seniors opt to receive skilled nursing care at home.
The services provided during long term care nursing will vary based on each senior’s needs and individual situation. A Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) will administer care. In addition to providing in home skilled nursing care, the nurse will teach family members and primary caregivers about the senior’s condition, as well as monitor and evaluate the senior’s care.
The nurse in charge of the senior’s recovery will have many responsibilities. These range from simple tasks like monitoring blood pressure and changing wound dressings to more specialized activities like administering medication, IV management, and providing necessary injections. The nurse will also observe the senior’s condition and report any changes to the primary care physician.
In addition to providing medical attention, some skilled nursing care programs incorporate daily care into the routine. While the people administering daily care are unlikely to be nurses, they often work in conjunction with the nurses to make seniors as comfortable as possible. Home assistants will take care of things like laundry, cooking meals, and transportation in addition to assisting nurses with dressing changes, seniors’ mobility, and monitoring vital signs.
With help from in home skilled nursing care professionals, many seniors are able to recover from falls and other medical emergencies in the comfort of their own homes, allowing them to remain independent for longer periods of time and preventing them from needing to stay in skilled care nursing facilities.
