Those who have faced the problem of caring for bedridden patients know how difficult it can be to find staff to take care of a loved one. When a terrible thing happens and a person becomes bedridden and unable to attend to their own needs, family members often take over caregiving responsibilities and decide to do without a caregiver. A stroke is an extremely serious disease, and it often turns out that not everyone can devote a lot of time and effort to it, because they simply do not know what to do, and having a job reduces the amount of free time. Therefore, family members decide to hire a caregiver. In this article, we will consider how the services of home health care in Nassau County can be useful for patients after a stroke.
Features of the work of a caregiver
The main feature of this work is continuous employment. A person is always near the patient, caring for him, carrying out all the necessary care manipulations. Moreover, this person is psychological support not only for the patient himself but also for his relatives. This means that for the duration of the work, a nurse for a bedridden patient after a stroke (for example) moves to the place where a patient is located. If a person is hospitalized and the family wants a nurse to look after the patient in addition to the medical staff, then a nurse has to constantly be near the patient. In any case, nurses come in different categories and specializations, depending on the category of the patient:
- bedridden patients;
- cancer patients;
- traumatological patients;
- active patients;
- seniors with physical activity.
These are the main criteria for patients, on which the features of the work of a nurse depend. This can be either permanent residence next to the patient or visiting a person during working hours (hours are set individually).
One of the features of the work is the constant monitoring of not only the mental state of a person but also the physiological one. It is important to know and understand the features of the course of the underlying disease, due to which the patient became bedridden, to understand what complications may occur and to monitor changes in the state of the body, to control the prescribed diet. Therefore, the presence of medical education is mandatory. No one wants to leave his relative in the care of a person without qualifications and knowledge in this area.
Why is it important to have a skilled nurse next to the patient after a stroke?
When it comes to patients after a stroke, you need to understand that a deterioration in a person’s condition may occur, for example, with an exacerbation of chronic diseases. Therefore, a caregiver for a patient after a stroke should understand what is happening with the patient and know what to do about it.
- Vomit. If a bedridden patient begins to vomit, this is a dangerous condition in which patients can inhale the vomit. This provokes the strongest wave of pneumonia, which is difficult to treat. It is urgent to raise the head of the bed or seat the patient, placing pillows under his back. If there is no time or opportunity to lift a person, a nurse has to turn him on his side.
- Deterioration of breathing. It can occur for various reasons, for example, when a patient loses consciousness when a lung abscess ruptures and pus flows into the bronchi. In this case, a nurse needs to provoke a cough reflex and immediately call an ambulance.
- Hyperthermia. It always means that an inflammatory process occurs in the human body, and if medicines do not help to reduce the temperature, physical cooling methods should be used, and a nurse also should inform relatives to hospitalize the patient.
- Excited or aggressive state. Aggression can occur in long-term bedridden patients. At the same time, it is important to calm the person, and in case of strong aggression, use fixation.
- Fall of the patient from the bed. It occurs mainly at night, when the patient, succumbing to some impulse, decides to stand up or turn around on his own. If at the same time the protective sides of the bed are lowered, a patient may fall to the floor;
- Cardiac or respiratory arrest. In this situation, a nurse needs to urgently call for help, call the resuscitation team and immediately begin resuscitation measures that are performed until the ambulance arrives.
Moreover, in any of the situations described above, the nurse must notify relatives and call an ambulance. Nevertheless, a caregiver for a patient after a stroke must begin to carry out the necessary activities on their own.
Nurse’s working hours
If a person has a massive stroke, then the assistant should be with the patient continuously. Daily care, feeding, and turning from side to side should be done even at night, and all this is the responsibility of the nurse. A stroke often affects the rate of formation of bedsores, since there is a violation of blood circulation in the tissues and this prevention is performed around the clock.
Most often, for patients after a stroke, a nurse is hired, who can have 1-2 days off a week. At the same time, a nurse can be replaced by relatives or a partner. There are different schedules and all of them are discussed individually depending on the qualifications of the nurse, the severity of the stroke, and the patient’s condition.
There is also such a schedule when the nurse visits the patient on certain days, for example, when relatives need to go to work. But often the family chooses a schedule in which the caregiver visits the patient after a stroke every day and goes home in the evening. Not all families are ready to accept a new person and such a work schedule is most convenient for them.
Wrapping up
Bedridden patients after a stroke are a special category. They require a special caregiver who knows and understands the patient’s problem, and possible complications of his condition and who knows how to carry out preventive measures as efficiently as possible. Galaxy Home Care is a reliable home care service provider in the USA. The company offers in-home care and assistance for seniors and sick people. Experienced caregivers and nurses can help your relatives to feel happy and healthy.
