Monday, May 26, 2014

Using A Private Duty Nurse Helps The Family

By Marci Glover


In the hospital, mainly with the elderly but also with younger patients, special help is needed that can not be accomplished by the current staff. The family members can be helpful but, as they have jobs and other tasks, they are hard pressed to have a lot of time for this. A private duty nurse can be hired to help out in this case and saves everyone a lot of work or trouble scheduling this important time.

What these nurses are able to do in the hospital is take all of the readings and monitor all of the devices the regular staff can not do easily. Readings for blood pressure and heart rate monitoring are just a few They can perform the vital tasks of intake and outflow measurements and documenting same. This will be in preparation for the doctors analyzing them for adjustments to care.

These nurses are not just valuable in the hospital, however, and more care is needed in the home when the patient leaves. Family members often can not devote all the time that is needed for these tasks and the professional nurse can do this as this will be their only job. Family members will have to be taught how to bathe the patient, especially if they can not get to the bathtub.

The amount of college and training these nurses must have changes depending on the state in which they wish to work. The minimum is several courses, based on basic health knowledge, nursing and medical knowledge. The type of knowledge needed will have the basics and whatever specialty he or she will be working toward. Certification is necessary before attempting private or hospital practice can be undertaken.

Their duties will include the basics, which is everything that must be monitored for the patient. They will need to take a personal interest in the patient in order to be as effective as they can be. Many times, the patients demeanor is a better indication of what is going on than any tests administered and sent away for analysis. This is a prime benefit for the family as they continue to live their lives as normally as possible.

These nurses will need to be involved in many activities. They will be dealing with tracheotomies, catastrophic injury and tube feedings. Ventilators will need to be prepared and cleaned, insulin pumps will be monitored as well as the many different types of spinal injuries must be known about. This is a very short list, however, and the need for all around knowledge is beneficial should anything arise that is out of the ordinary.

The correct private nurse for your family member should be certified and come from a reputable agency. That agency should provide the back up to all of their nurses and references should be checked. The knowledge base of the particular nurse they will assign to your case should include all tasks that will be needed and recommended by your doctor. There should also be a willingness to feed the patient as well as any other personal chores you are unable to provide.

Getting this type of help for your family member is important. This is the case whether he or she is in a care facility, the hospital or at home. Checking with the insurance company for possible payment of this is important. However, no one can place a price on the peace of mind you will have when your loved one is taken care as well as possible.




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