There are several illnesses and conditions that can be treated at a hospital with all the equipment available on site, nevertheless there are some conditions that can be treated at home as well.
Before diving into the conditions that can be treated at home, one might ask ‘why’ would home healthcare be a better option than hospitalization.
To start with, home healthcare and hospitalization can each have advantages and can be tailored to the demands of different patients. The benefits of home healthcare include companionship, where a caretaker can solely keep their focus on the patient and possibly build a bond and support the quality of their life, this is significantly important for seniors and patients who live alone, another benefit is the comfort the patient would have at home and their surroundings rather than a hospital where they would be confined to the four walls and the antiseptic smell. Patients are also surrounded by their loved ones at home to support and care for them, which is very essential for patients nearing their end of life, where they can spend their last few moments in the world with their family and friends. Home healthcare is also beneficial in context to the cost, research has proven that home healthcare support can cost up to 52% lesser than hospitalization. These reductions could be because of reduced ER visits, decreased exposure to illnesses as a result of being within their own surroundings and focused care.
Moving on to some of the illnesses that can be treated at home, heart conditions are one of the most common conditions that can be treated using home health care, the medical care equipment can be provided by NORMS, more importantly, heart conditions usually require the patient to remain calm to be helped out. Remaining in their home environment will play a huge role in reducing their anxiety. A home care professional can have a one-on-one interactive session with the patient, providing them with more attention and learn techniques to manage heart conditions and keep frequent checks on their blood pressure and blood sugar regularly.
Stroke treatment
The same applies for patients affected with stroke, coordinated nursing and specialized therapy services can aid stroke victims in regaining mobility and as much independence as they can. One can regain their capacity to carry out daily activities and express their needs and goals to their loved ones with the help of physical, occupational and speech therapy provided.
Conditions such as pneumonia, infection and flu can be very serious and have a significant effect on a patient’s health. The care and supervision of a qualified nurse or a health care professional can hasten recovery from a serious illness. In order to lower the possibility of serious complications, a nurse can administer IV medication at home and identify early symptoms and prevent it.
Trouble eating and swallowing
Annually, one in twenty five adults are affected with swallowing disorders. A specialist can assess your ability to swallow by examining your strength, muscle range of action, and capacity to consume food and liquids safely. They choose the ideal exercises, positions, and approaches for you based on this assessment.
Diabetes is a condition that requires continual watchfulness to track and regulate blood sugar and act at the first few signs of concerns. Home healthcare can educate a patient on how to manage their condition and prevent the condition from advancing and resulting in severe consequences. Additionally, a healthcare professional will remain with the patient to monitor their condition frequently. In the unfortunate case of diabetes being uncontrollable such as ‘diabetic neurotherapy’ or wound care as a result of diabetes. Home health care can help in recovery of a patient or their loved one from problems such as slow-healing wounds, infections and amputations.
Dementia and several other diseases that affect the mind can often be frustrating and difficult to manage. Fortunately, there are treatments that can raise quality of life and enable the patient to remain in their home longer.
Some services that can be utilized are different therapy sessions, such as physical therapy which allows for the patient to improve their physical health and mobility, occupational therapy to help a patient regain their independence to perform their daily activities and reduce their confusion. The patient’s remaining cognitive abilities can be improved with speech therapy. As the patient’s illness progresses, the speech therapist assists the family and carers by teaching them on how to cope with the condition. The behavioral problems and issues can be tackled with the help of a psychiatrist and find out if the medication is the reason for specific behavior of a patient such as aggression and frustration.
Depression is a common but serious mental illness that negatively affects the way a person feels, the way they think and the way they act as well. Globally estimated that 5% of all adults suffer from depression. In terms of medicine, when confronted by serious health issues, several patients fall into depression in fear of losing their independence and sometimes inevitable death. To tackle this issue, therapists can provide skilled care and teach coping skills to help overcome their feelings
COPD and several other chronic respiratory conditions and diseases deplete a person’s energy. It is very typical to experience weariness, muscular wasting, and starving since breathing requires so much effort. To avoid flare-ups and preserve the quality of life, diligent management is very much needed. Home healthcare can be of service at this point to support the patients when they are bed bound. As the nurses and health care professionals work closely with the patient and in their surroundings, they can identify triggers that cause flare-ups, improve their physical health and tolerance, performing daily activities efficiently and teach the patient to manage their breathing in the event of shortness of breath.
In the unfortunate case of a patient suffering from multiple chronic conditions, they are likely to be taking different medications and are treated by different doctors. Trying to manage all of the symptoms, drugs and side effects may be a challenging task to overcome. Home health care specialists provided by NORMS can manage medications, teach the patient or concerned family members on how to manage the patient’s health, monitor and report early warnings and signs of illness and improve the quality of life as a whole. As a home nurse focuses solely on the patient alone, it would be easier to remember the dosages and the lifestyle of the patient, making life as a result easier for the patient itself.
Falls account for the highest cause of accidents for the elderly people, around 3 million older adults are treated for in the emergency department as a result of a fall injury. Falls also account for 95% of all hip fractures, hence preventing this accident from occurring or helping in a speedy recovery if at the unfortunate case that it occurs is essential.
To help decrease the risk of falls, home healthcare allows for in-house physical therapists to work on a patient’s physical health, mobility and address the risks at home that can result in an accident.
In the event of a fall that has already occurred, the same can be done to rehabilitate the patient’s physical health and prevent it from reoccurring.
Recovering from a replacement surgery or a surgery in general can be a painful and difficult process, especially due to the limited mobility of a patient. Hence, home healthcare plays an important role in this situation as most patients would prefer to go through rehabilitation from their home, specialized physical or occupational therapy is required in order to swiftly restore flexibility and strength.
The same falls for amputation, in the case of a patient losing a limb, they would have to go through specialized rehabilitation as healing from an amputation is a long process. NORMS would provide specialized care takers and nurses to help heal and once again, physical and occupational therapy at home. Amputation sometimes occurs as a result of diabetes, hence managing diabetes to lower the risk of additional problems is crucial.
Cancer patients usually have a weakened immune system. Hence, they face the risk of secondary infections, side effects to their treatment, healing wounds and their mental health. Keeping the patient at home is very important at a time like this to prevent the risk of catching secondary infections at a hospital, this is where home healthcare would prove to be beneficial. Therapists and healthcare experts prove to be useful in order ensure the patient has a painless treatment.
Not all conditions can be treated at home, as some medication and equipment are available only in hospitals, but NORMS can do its best to ensure that a patient receives all their equipment, medication, and services to treat their condition, keep their comfort at home at the same time through the process in the form of home healthcare.
