Whether it's due to illness, age, or injury disability is a leading cause of the surge in home health. Families are turning to home health nurses for the disabled members of their family.
Other illnesses can cause a need for health care from home. The disabled family members may need assistance for general care like grooming and medications. Some have feeding tubes and other special accommodations. A home health nurse will have proper training on how to tend to these machines and tubes. They can also teach family members basic care guidelines so they can help with the responsibilities. Often with illness, like cancer, patients deteriorate quickly. Family members are often in shock and overcome with grief. They can't be expected to notice small changes in the patient's health. That's why home health for the disabled is necessary.
Injury from car accidents and near drownings are a growing cause of the need for home health care for the disabled. More and more young people are taking their lives in their own hands and putting themselves in dangerous situations. When these situations take a horrific turn, home health nurses are called in to care for the patient. Sometimes these injuries aren't permanent and a nurse can work toward physical rehabilitation with the patient. Many times someone in these accidents will be in a permanent vegetative state. At this point it's just a matter of maintenance. This is also a time for the family to think about life saving measures and whether they're appropriate.
If you find yourself in need of home health care for a disabled person in your family, your local hospital will be able to provide you with contact information. There are usually nurse banks and home health companies that service each hospital. Make sure they're licensed and bonded. It's also important that they get along well with the patient and the entire family. In some cases they may be spending many years with your family, sometimes feeling like part of it before all is said and done.