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Home Health care West Palm Beach, FL

Home Health care in West Palm Beach, Florida

When To Get an In-Home Elder Care Nurse For Your Loved One

Home Health care West Palm Beach, FLFinding the right care for your loved one is paramount. You may be struggling with whether it is time to get your loved one home health care in West Palm Beach, FL because you may be unsure of whether they are fine on their own or whether you or a loved one can take care of them. However, if your loved one’s health and safety is at-risk in any way, it may be time to start looking for West Palm Beach, Florida home health care. When this is the case, you might not want to send them to an elderly-care facility because this can become extremely costly very quickly, and you likely feel more restricted when it comes to visiting them and ensuring the staff are properly meeting their needs. However, an in-home nurse might be just the right choice for you and your family.

What Are In-Home Nurses?

In-home nurses are caregivers that can come straight to your loved one’s house. They will either be a:

*Registered Nurse (RN), or
*Practical Nurse (LPN)

These nurses and caregivers specifically provide your loved one with the medical assistance they need all in the comfort of their own home. This can be a particularly positive experience for those who would otherwise feel uncomfortable or even unsafe going to a long-term care facility.

What Do In-Home Nurses Do?

An in-home nurse providing home health care in West Palm Beach, Florida has the necessary qualification to administer your loved one with the medications they need, provide injections, dressing and undressing injuries, and helping with health conditions like a colostomy or diabetes. Because your loved one is elderly, they are likely unable to care for themselves on their own when it comes to medical conditions, and an in-home nurse can provide home health care in West Palm Beach, FL. In some cases, the nurse’s facility will even train them on more complicated treatment involving physical therapy and other medical treatments. Some specific treatments an in-home nurse can help with may include:

  • Monitoring the health of the patient. 
  • Assessing and recording any progress either for improvements or regression. 
  • Helping a patient take any medication. 
  • Helping with physical therapy such as routine exercises as well as a regimented diet plan.

What If My Loved One Needs Help With Basic Activities?

Nurses are not necessarily just there to help with medical treatments and care. In many cases, and depending on the facility they come from the elderly patient will also need help with:

*Eating
*Bathing
*Personal Hygiene, and Dressing

When an in-home nurse is working with their patient on their medical care, they will often provide additional support when it comes to their daily activities, but this is something that should be discussed prior to signing a contract.

What Should I Do If We Need an In-Home Nurse?

If you have already decided that you need one for your loved one—great! However, one of the first steps is to discuss the huge life change with your family member. Discuss the benefits, how it may change their independence, and how it can help them (and your family). Your family may be skeptical or worried at first, but ensure them that this is the best solution. It is normal if they have questions and don’t worry if you’re unable to adequately answer all the questions they have. They can talk to our office and our team will be able to answer any lingering questions or concerns that they may have.

What Else Can an In-Home Nurse Provide?

Because of the frequency of visits, your in-home nurse providing home health care in West Palm Beach, Florida can also provide your loved one with companionship. It is important for your loved one to discuss how they feel both physically and emotionally, and this can relieve a great deal of stress when they have someone to talk with.

How an In-Home Nurse Can Improve Mental Health

If you are caring for an elderly loved one, you likely understand the challenges that come with aging, and you may have concerns about mental health and quality of life. In situations like yours, it may be time to explore your options for home health care in West Palm Beach, FL. An Expicare Nursing home caregiver can help improve your loved one’s mental health and overall wellness.

Dignity

As people age, they sometimes lose the ability to perform basic care tasks for themselves. Hygiene is a health issue, but it is also an issue of dignity and self-esteem. A person may feel frustrated or embarrassed when physical limitations get in the way of maintaining a nice appearance. Home health care in West Palm Beach, FL, can help with daily hygiene, dressing and grooming so your loved one can feel more comfortable and confident.

Security

Expicare Nursing can provide regular visits from an in-home nurse to ensure that your loved one is safe and healthy. The nurse can help administer medication and keep an eye out for health issues and hazards in the home. These routine visits can help prevent falls and illnesses and reduce stressful hospitalizations and doctor’s visits. With home health care, your loved one can feel safer and more relaxed at home.

Companionship

Isolation is a problem for many elderly people. If an elderly person can no longer drive or is housebound by medical conditions, loneliness can set in and lead to depression. Frequent home health care visits ensure that your loved one has someone to talk to, which can lift your loved one’s spirits and prevent loneliness.

Independence

It is often difficult for elderly people to learn that they can no longer live alone. Moving into a facility or even the home of a family member can be a challenging transition. Fortunately, home health care in West Palm Beach, FL, can help your loved one continue to live independently longer. Being able to remain in familiar surroundings can be highly beneficial to an elderly person’s mental health.

Respite

When an elderly person needs care and assistance, family members often step in to fulfill the need. Caregiving can be physically and emotionally exhausting. With professional home health care in West Palm Beach, FL, an in-home nurse can help with your loved one’s care, allowing you to focus on being a son or daughter, sibling, spouse or friend instead of a caregiver. You and your loved one will both be happier as a result.

Who Can I Contact?

If you would like to set up an appointment today with Expicare Nursing today about getting home health care residents of West Palm Beach, FL trust for your loved one, please reach out to our office at (561)736-1422.

4 Ways Home Health Care Benefits Your Loved Ones

When deciding if home health care in West Palm Beach, FL is the right choice for your family member, consider the benefits it can provide for them. 

Professionals Can Make Your Loved One’s Home Safer

As your family member ages, mobility and safety become a concern. Specialists in home health care in West Palm Beach, FL, can make adjustments to the home to make it safe and easy to move around in. Professionals can monitor your loved one in their home and may recognize trouble spots before they become a safety hazard. Expicare employees can guide you through installing ramps leading into the house, adding rails and bath chairs to make showering easier and removing dangers such as throw rugs which may increase the chance of a fall. Your family member also benefits from someone being able to teach them how to use their new accommodations consistently and adequately. 

You’re Family Member Is Not Left Alone

When an elderly parent is left alone after a spouse passes, it can be a very lonely time. Home health care in West Palm Beach, FL, offers companionship in these situations. This is important for your family member’s psychological well-being and can often prevent depression. Loneliness contributes to a decrease in appetite and lowers interest in life. Professionals from Expicare fill this gap and provide stimulating conversations and activities to make life more enjoyable for your family members. 

Therapy Sessions May Be Available In the Comfort of Their Home

Getting to and from various doctor appointments can be very difficult when mobility is an issue. Home health nurses can perform routine physical therapy in the comfort of your loved one’s home. Not only is this convenient for your family member, but it makes it much more likely that they can keep up with continued care. 

The Likeliness of Falls Decreases

Falls are a common injury for the elderly or those recovering from surgery. Having someone provide home health care in West Palm Beach, FL, means your loved one is never alone and is less likely to fall. A caregiver can assist them to and from the bathroom and on walks outside while ensuring they use assistive devices such as walkers and mobility chairs. Not only are falls less likely, but if an accident does happen, you no longer need to worry about a family member being left injured and unable to call for help. 

6 Benefits of Home Health Care

1. Team of Professionals Offering a Wide Range of Services

Home health care in West Palm Beach, FL involves basic health care services and sometimes more advanced ones such as physical therapy. Nurses are fully trained and carefully screened before they go out into the field, and each works under the supervision of a physician. They may also provide assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming, and eating. 

2. Personalized, High-Quality Care

Expicare tailors a care plan for you based on your specific, individual needs according to evidence-based standards and practices. You build a sense of trust in your caregivers, and the care you receive is more effective. 

3. Cost Savings

There are a couple of ways that home health care in West Palm Beach, FL, helps you save money. It provides an alternative to long-term care in a residential aging facility, which can cost thousands of dollars a year. By providing preventive care in your own home, it can also help prevent emergency room visits and hospitalization, each of which can be costly. Many private insurance plans cover home health care services, as do Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. 

4. Relief for Family Members

Expicare takes off some of the burden from family members by providing you health care services in your own home that family members may not be qualified to perform. Home health services may also assist with personal hygiene tasks that may be difficult or uncomfortable for family members to handle. 

5. Convenience and Safety

It is much easier and more convenient for you to receive health care services in your own home than to have to make periodic trips to a doctor’s office. It is also safer to have someone checking up on you on a regular basis. 

6. Independence

One of the biggest benefits of home health care is that it provides you with the freedom to keep living independently in your own home. You and your family have peace of mind from knowing that someone is looking out for your well being and that you are not alone, that someone is there for you to keep tabs on you. You’ve invested a lot in your home in terms of both money and time. It is where your memories live. You should be able to stay there as long as you choose. Home health care services help make that feasible for you and your family. 

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Qualities to Look for in a Home Health Nurse

If your loved one is currently dealing with a chronic illness or injury, home health care in West Palm Beach, FL may be beneficial. It will allow your family member to stay in the comfort of his or her home while receiving quality care. Here are a few qualities to look for in a home health nurse.

  • Compassion. Dealing with a serious illness or injury can be very draining. Your loved one may deal with chronic pain or feel depressed about not being able to do the same activities anymore. That is why it is important to hire a home nurse who is compassionate. He or she should understand that your family member is in a tough situation and offer words of encouragement.
  • Patient. Patience is another important quality a home care nurse should possess. Your family member may not always be cooperative. For example, there may be days where your loved one may be stubborn about taking medication. Although this can be frustrating for the home nurse, he or she should remain patient and work through these challenges.
  • Physically fit. A home care nurse should also be in good physical shape. Being physically fit can definitely come in handy while taking care of someone at home. For example, if your family member is bedridden, a home care nurse may have to move him or her periodically to prevent bedsores, which takes a lot of strength.
  • Good communicator. It is important to choose a home care nurse with excellent communication skills. A home nurse will have to communicate with your family member about various matters on a daily basis and should get his or her point across clearly. He or she should be able to communicate with the patient’s family effectively. For example, if the home care nurse notices that your loved one has been losing a lot of weight lately or is more withdrawn than usual, he or she should notify you as soon as possible.
  • Dependable. The home care nurse you hire must be dependable. He or she should be committed to the job and always put the patient’s needs first. Your family member will rely on a home care nurse to arrive each day on time and tend to critical needs.