The Types Of Supportive In-Home Care Provided By Visiting Nurses And Health Care Workers

When you think of "assisted living," you probably think of nurses helping the elderly. While that is true, and probably the most common type of assisted living, assisted living facilities and nurses help many other groups of people too. If you or a family member requires more care than everyone around you can give, age and/or physical ailment is no barrier. Here are the other patient groups that assisted living nurses and supportive, in-home care can help.

Children with Severe Physical and Cognitive Challenges

If you have a child that has severe physical and cognitive challenges, then you probably spend a lot of your day caring for him or her. It is draining work, and you may feel like you need respite occasionally. Assisted living nurses can come into your home to care for your child for a few hours or a few days (or even longer) if you need them to so you can get a much needed break, or in some states, your child can go to a facility away from home.

Adults Recuperating from Major Ambulation Surgery

Adults who have had major knee or hip surgery will need extra care for a while after their surgeries, especially if they have traditional knee or hip replacement surgery. This may mean getting around in a wheelchair, or using some other type of ambulatory equipment. Visiting nurses that provide in-home care after knee or hip surgery can help you ambulate daily until you have recovered enough to move about the house on your own. Additionally, your physical therapist may be able to come to your home for your first few sessions of therapy, train your at-home support nurses to help you with the stretches and exercises, and then let the nurses take over your daily physical therapy.

Individuals with Partial to Total Paralyzation

In the event that you or a loved one becomes paralyzed, the paralyzed patient requires a lot of care. When you are not comfortable with family providing care to you or you are not comfortable with providing care to adult children, assisted living nurses can help. Many patients who suddenly find themselves paralyzed but lucid can inform next of kin about their wishes to stay in their own homes and have visiting nurses versus spend the rest of their days in an assisted living facility. (It is a very good idea to have life directives formally drawn in case you or your family member becomes paralyzed and cannot clearly state what kind of care you would prefer.)

For supportive, in-home care, contact a company such as Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care.