This is good advice for caring for a sick person of any age. But since older people are statistically more likely to to have a sickness of some kind, it's particularly appropriate:
Caring for a sick person at home involves more than medicine and meals. It involves creating an atmosphere that can speed the patient to recovery.
To begin with, you'll need to learn as much as you can about the illness. There's a big difference between, say, caring for a flu patient and caring for someone with a choric disease, like Alzheimer's. And the more you know about an disease, the better equipped you are to anticipate and deal with complications.
A healing environment goes beyond the patient's physical comfort. Factors like enough natural light, good ventilation and freedom from unnecessary noise can create a positive atmosphere and help speed healing.
Another part of that healing environment is proper nutrition and hydration. You should make sure you know the patent's dietary restrictions or conditions. If you don't know you should ask the doctor or other health professional. Equally, the meals themselves should be not only nutritious, but also cater to the patient's tastes. This can help boost the patient's strength and morale. In cases of fever or gastrointestinal issues, hydration is just as important.
In addition to administering medications on time, it's important to know and understand the purpose, dosage, and possible side effects of each one. Maintaining a log of medication schedules ad the patient's responses helps track progress and identify problems.
Personal hygiene can be challenging, but regular bathing, oral care, and changing clothes and bed lines keep the patient comfortable and reduce the risk of infections. Be gentle and respectful, making sure to respect the patient's dignity.
Patients often feel vulnerable and anxious, so providing emotional support through active listening, empathy, reassurance ad their needs and concerns can make a big difference.
Regular monitoring of the patient's changes in temperature, pain levels, symptoms, and vital signs is, well, vital. As is knowing when to call for medical help. especially if the patient gets worse.
Caring for a sick person at home can be physically taxing, to say the least. It's no crime to call for help. And that's where we come in. Whether you just need it for just few hours or the full 24/7, for a well-deserved respite, or longer, Senior Insights can provide just the support you need. After our three-part needs assessment finds out what care is needed, our custom-designed care plans provide it. You pay for only as much care as you really need, and not a penny more. So why not contact us, to keep the patient care going while you take that much needed break?
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