Guide to Pediatric Home Health Care

Home health care is a growing trend among Americans. Even though a lot of families aren’t aware of the benefits of home health care yet, awareness is spreading. To many people, home health care might sound questionable – like some sort of rising trend among people who like to challenge conventional medicine, but this is far from being true. The truth about home care is that only qualified professionals are legally permitted to work in the field. Home health care experts receive the same training to work in their respective professions as hospital staff would undergo.

One of the fastest growing sectors in home health partitioning is elderly care, but there’s no person too young or old to receive health care at home. Pediatric home health care can help countless families care for the health care needs of their children in the comfort of their own homes.

How Fast is Home Health Care Growing?

Home health care is growing in popularity at a rapid pace. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook for growth in home health care is that it’s on the rise. The demand for home health aides is predicted to grow by 36% between 2018 and 2028 alone.

This growth is largely contributed to the growing number of elderly people in need of basic care and assistance from health aides. While it represents the fact that home health care is growing, the rising popularity of other forms of home care, such and nursing and therapy, isn’t factored in to this statistic.

Home Health Care is More than Health Aides

Home health care is about more than hiring aides to assist patients that face disability challenges. Pediatric home health care specifically can include various forms of therapy and assistance with a broad range of medical disorders – not all of which will render a child immobile.

To some extent, the growing popularity of home health care is reminiscent of the old days, when doctors routinely made house visits to treat patients. Patient visitation makes sense, seeing as a lot of patients suffer from medical problems that make visiting a medical practice challenging.

Receiving as much care as possible at home is also more convenient and accessible for many patients. To get medical assistance at home allows patients to stay comfortable in a relaxed environment. When pediatric home care serves to assist patients during the recovery period after surgery, it allows for patients to recover out of hospital, away from potential pathogens that exist in a hospital environment.

Professional Medical Treatment

The prospect of home health during the recovery period after surgery can seem attractive, but not all patients are eligible. If you’re interested in home health care for your child or loved one, you’ll still need to consult with your doctor about whether it’s a viable option.

It goes without saying that high-risk patients will need to remain in hospital until a physician clears them as stable enough for recovery at home. In this way, your home health care provider and doctor will need to work together to establish the best care for your child.

Pediatric Home Health Care Options

As previously stated, some children might be eligible for pediatric home health care during recovery post-surgery. However, home care doesn’t always serve as an alternative to hospital recovery. Some pediatric home health care options are aimed at providing short sessions of in-home treatment rather than extensive, chronic care.

Below is a list of pediatric home health care options for different conditions.

Infant Bilirubin Therapy

Infant jaundice is a common problem among newborns and mothers with incompatible blood types. Most often, it’s due to an ABO incompatibly, where the mother lacks an antigen present in the blood of the infant. Treatment for infant jaundice involves phototherapy – which means it’s treated by exposing the child to specially developed lights.

Medication Infusion Therapy

Certain medications must be administered intravenously through a needle, or through the use of a catheter. Some conditions that commonly warrant medication infusion therapy include cancers, immune deficiencies and infections that are unresponsive to oral antibiotic treatment.

Asthma Nursing Care

Although some asthma sufferers can live relatively normal lives, a lot of younger sufferers are hardest hit by the condition. Some children are at high risk for asthma-related fatalities. In such instances, physicians might prescribe specialized asthma nursing care, which can be administered at home.

Specialized Therapy

A lot of children require some form of physical-, occupational- or speech therapy. When working with a pediatric home health care provider, appointments can be made for home treatment.

The need for therapy isn’t an indication of a child’s intellectual abilities, some children simply require special care due to learning disorders, physical challenges, autism or even psychological problems, such as high levels of anxiety. Qualified, experienced health care practitioners display the necessary sense of patience, understanding and competence to provide the highest quality of care possible.

Appointments can be made according to your personal schedule for therapy on an ongoing basis. For children who lack confidence, the familiar home environment can help set them at ease, which could make therapy sessions more effective.

Enteral Feeding

For disabled children who suffer from mental subnormalities, enteral feeding (also called tube feeding) is often required. This involves feeding through a tube that releases food directly into the stomach or intestinal tract. It’s not practical to travel daily for feeding, so home health care is the best option. Nurses and medical staff will also be able to assist with other health care requirements.

Wound Care

Pediatric home wound careIn the home health care setting, wound care most often involves the ongoing treatment of problematic persistent wounds. Complex wounds are often indicative of underlying medical complications such as diabetes or infection, but surgical wounds can also qualify. Your pediatric home health care provider will work with your doctor in wound treatment.

Home wound care nurses are experienced in the treatment of complex wounds. Through proper communication, evaluation and cooperation, your nurse can work together with your doctor by recommending treatment plans, which you can discuss with your doctor.

Although a lot of home wound care can be performed by a loved one, the help of a medical professional can be crucial for recovery. Complications can present during home wound care – the guidance and expertise of a wound care nurse can help patients overcome challenges through expert care and recommendations for improved recovery rates.

Can Your Child Benefit from Pediatric Home Health Care?

Pediatric home health care can encompass more than the medical assistance listed above. There are many medical conditions where home care can greatly improve the quality of life for both the pediatric patient and their family. Children suffering from respiratory disorders, orthopedic ailments, infection disorders and even cardiovascular complications can all benefit from receiving home care as part of a medical care plan.

If you’re interested in pediatric home health care, but you’re not sure if your child is eligible, talk to a home health care provider about your options. Advantis Home Care offers home health care to both pediatric and geriatric patients in Miami. Our staff are knowledgeable on home health care treatment options and can advise you regarding what options are available for your child. We’ll work with your existing medical practitioners to help incorporate home care into your child’s health care plan.

Is Pediatric Home Health Care Affordable?

Home health care might seem like an extravagant luxury, but this isn’t the case. In many cases, treatment at home can be more affordable than hospitalization or medical care administered in a practice.

Many children who require pediatric home health care qualify for cover from Medicaid. In almost all states, Medicaid will pay for pediatric home health care if the treatment is deemed necessary by a physician. Medicaid will also pay out for occupational- and speech therapy in some states, but not all.

Unfortunately, financial assistance from Medicaid isn’t always enough to cover all the expenses involved in home health care. When Medicaid payments aren’t sufficient, you can discuss payment options with a local home health care provider. Private health insurance providers are often willing to pay for home health care – especially when it proves as a cost-effective alternative to hospitalization.

Home care often costs less than alternatives, making it a convenient, personalized and affordable option for many American families.

Rozanne WildsGuide to Pediatric Home Health Care
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How to Care for an Elderly Parent at Home

Aging is a natural part of life, but it can be difficult to deal with. As your parents age, you’ll have a growing responsibility towards them. A lot of elderly people prefer to stay at home by themselves, or with their children and grandchildren. Staying in an old age home doesn’t provide elderly persons with the same sense of belonging as staying with loved ones. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance your elderly parent suffers from a health condition that makes home care challenging. So, how can you care for an elderly parent at home? There are various things you can do to make home care more accessible.

Can Elderly Parents Live Alone?

Not everyone has a good relationship with their parents. Regardless, everyone has a responsibility to care for elderly parents who raised them. Although you should make sure that the care your parent receives involves the necessary medical care, your elderly parent doesn’t have to stay with you if you don’t want them to.

That said, even if your parents don’t stay with you, they can still stay at home on their own. Try to find them an apartment or home close to where you live. Make sure that the place you choose is safe for elderly persons.

Things like steps, for instance, pose a tripping hazard for elderly people. Also try to find a place that won’t require a lot of maintenance. A place that’s small enough to navigate easily, but large enough to be comfortable is best. Avoid getting a place with a large garden, as your elderly parents are unlikely to be able to mow the lawn by themselves.

Having your elderly parents close by is ideal. However, even if your parents stay far away, there are ways to make home care for the elderly work for your family.

How to Make a Home Suitable for the Elderly

How to make a home suitable for elderly parents will depend on your situation. As mentioned before, maintenance is an important consideration for elderly people staying alone. Hence, a small garden (or none at all) and a small residence is best.

There are some guidelines for a proper home layout for the elderly that are always good. Regardless of whether they stay by themselves or not. Here are some ways to make sure your elderly parents stay in a suitable home:

  • Install handicap rails in the bathroom by the toilet and in the shower
  • Consider installing a shower rather than bath and fit it with an appropriate seat
  • Avoid using slippery floor finishes (such as smooth, glossy tiles) anywhere in the home
  • Be sure no area of the property has a step
  • Layout the space in a way that allows a wheelchair or walking rail to fit through easily

Once you have a suitable space to care for your elderly parent at home, you can look into ways to make home care possible.

How to Care for an Elderly Parent at Home

Perhaps the most challenging part of caring for an elderly person at home is health care. Some elderly persons are quite healthy and able to take care of themselves, but not all.

Eventually age becomes a big factor for all elderly people, though. Most elderly people reach a stage where they’re unable to live completely independently. Although placing your parents in an old age home might seem like the only way to ensure they get the care they need, there are other options.

If you’re planning for your elderly parent to stay in your home, you can teach yourself how to care for them. Caring for an elderly parent at home is a substantial commitment. It’s not something that’s going to be easy. To begin with, you must manage your expectations and prepare yourself emotionally:

  • Be understanding towards the situation of your parent: Children who care for elderly parents often find it frustrating. As the caregivers, the children tend to make choices on behalf of their aged parents. In an attempt to ascertain their individuality and independence, the parents often retaliate by resisting the choices their children make on their behalf. Understand that your parents have always been in a position of authority and leadership over you. It’s not easy for a parent to feel like they have reversed roles with their children. Like any other individual, an old person wants to feel a sense of pride in themselves and losing independence isn’t easy.
  • Help your parent throughout the transition: As mentioned above, elderly parents can react very negatively to losing independence and autonomy. Help to boost their confidence by asking their advice about choices and allowing them as much freedom as possible.
  • Keep your lives separate where possible: It’s hard to live your life separately from your parent when they stay with you but doing so will put less stress on your relationship. A good way to keep your lives somewhat separate, is to give your parents their own space, such as a flatlet on your property.

Although preparing yourself emotionally might not seem like your biggest concern, taking care of your elderly parent will be a big adjustment – both for you and your parent.

How to Care for an Elderly Parent’s Health

When it comes to caring for an elderly parent at home, health care is one of the biggest obstacles most families face. You can prepare yourself emotionally. You can even learn some basics of caring for the elderly, but it still won’t make you a qualified health care provider.

The good news is that home health care options exist to make home care easier for your family. Various home health care services exist to help elderly people live functional lives at home. The services your family requires will depend on the current health of your elderly parent. Some popular home health care options for the elderly include:

  • Nursing: At home nurses are qualified registered or licensed practical nurses. This means the nursing care your parent receives at home should be equivalent to what they’d get in a hospital.
  • Health aides: Health aides aren’t nurses and don’t perform medical work. Instead, health aides are trained to assist patients with day-to-day activities such as dressing and cooking. They also keep patients company and provide necessary emotional support to combat loneliness.
  • Therapists: There are different kinds of therapists that can assist your elderly parent at home. Whether your parent needs physical therapy after surgery, or occupational therapy to recover from a stroke, home health care is an affordable and convenient option for your loved ones.

All home health care providers are trained and qualified in their profession. This means you don’t have to worry about the quality of care your parent will receive.

Why Choose Home Health Care?

Health care at home provides a relaxed environment for your parent. Living in a stress-free environment is especially important for patients recovering from surgeries or strokes. Stress has an overall negative impact on health and wellness. Lower stress will also improve the quality of life your elderly parent can enjoy.

Next time your elderly parent is admitted to hospital, talk to your doctor about home health care options. You might find that your parent can be discharged much sooner if you make use of a home health care service during the recovery period.

Another advantage of home health care is that health aides can assist the elderly on an ongoing basis — not just during recovery. You can hire a home health care service to take care of your elderly loved one every day, even if you live far apart. This makes it possible for elderly persons to live by themselves in the comfort of their own homes.

At its core, home health care aims to help patients enjoy a better quality of life, live more independently and feel cared for.

Rozanne WildsHow to Care for an Elderly Parent at Home
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What is Home Health Care? A Guide for Your Family

Upon being asked the question, “what is home healthcare?” many people will have only a vague knowledge of what to answer. A lot of people associate home health care with caring for the elderly. While caring for the elderly is certainly part of home health care, there’s much more to it than elderly care at home. Home health care can consist of various other types of treatment and therapies. Seeing as many home health care programs are highly effective – sometimes even more so than hospital care – it’s good to explore different kinds of home healthcare in case you or a family member could benefit.

Is Home Health Care Effective?

Before looking at different home health care options, it’s important to establish whether healthcare at home offers any advantages. There’s no point in considering home healthcare for a loved one if it’s not effective, after all.

When looking for effective home health care, one of the most important things to look for is whether a provider is Medicare- or Medicaid-certified. Always opt for a certified provider if possible. Certification helps show that the company you’re dealing with is reputable.

If you’re dealing with a certified provider, the outlook for home health care is good. One study from the University of Rochester School of Nursing found that home health care reduced re-hospitalization among older patients. Among the therapies included in the study were physical therapy, occupational therapy and skilled nursing.

Many other studies have found similar results, demonstrating how home health care helps to reduce the risk of re-hospitalization in patients.

To get good results from home care, the most important thing is that care providers must be adequately qualified and trained. When patients receive care from individuals with the same qualifications as hospital staff, results will be similar to that of hospital or nursing home treatment.

What is Home Health Care? Different Types of Home Care

In-home care for the elderly is a major part of home health care. However, many of the health care services that elderly persons benefit from also apply to people of other ages. Various different services and therapies are aimed at helping disabled individuals live at home comfortably and safely. Seeing as home health care helps to prevent readmission to hospital among the elderly, it’s especially effective for this demographic.

Popular home health care services among elderly and disabled persons can include the following:

Each one of these forms of home care can help prevent readmission to hospital, or perhaps even avoid hospitalization to begin with. Another advantage is that people who receive home health care often live more independently within the comfort of their own homes, as opposed to living in a nursing home or other facility.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy, also called physiotherapy, often involves massage, acupuncture and other techniques to relax muscles, relieve nerve tension and improve movement. Many patients can benefit from physical therapy, even patients who don’t suffer from any ailment.

Examples of persons who can benefit from physical therapy include the following:

  • People who are athletes, or are active and follow a strict workout routine
  • Patients who suffer from muscular-skeletal ailments, leading to chronic pain
  • Persons who experience chronic muscle pain as a result of a physically challenging occupation – even persons who work desk jobs could benefit
  • Patients who suffered physical injury resulting in loss of movement or severe muscular injury are often prescribed physical therapy as part of their rehabilitation program
  • Similarly, stroke survivors can be prescribed physical therapy to help recover muscular function as much as possible

The list could go on and on. Physical therapy can benefit even seemingly healthy people. For example, a lot of people seem healthy, but have poor posture. Poor posture can lead to backaches, neck pain and muscle tension. Physical therapy can assist in helping persons with poor posture retrain their muscles to improve posture.

Occupational Therapy

A lot of people think that only children need occupational therapy. Other people mistakenly believe that occupational therapy is mostly for adults. The truth is that both children and adults might require some form of occupational therapy in their lifetimes. This is because occupational therapy is about the needs of the individual patient, not his or her age demographic.

Specifically, occupational therapy is aimed at helping patients perform everyday activities through improving motor skills and coordination.

For children, therapy often focuses on learning new fine motor skills like writing or using scissors. Therapy can also involve training of coordination to help a child use a computer mouse or catch a ball.

Occupational therapy for the elderly and disabled focuses on helping them perform everyday activities. During an occupational therapy session, an adult might relearn life and motor skills that assist in everyday tasks.

For instance, an occupational therapist might focus on helping a person with physical challenges to cook and do their own homemaking. For a severely challenged person, occupational therapy can be as simple as teaching them to eat and dress themselves.

Any person suffering from impaired movement after an accident or as a result of age could benefit from occupational therapy.

Respiratory Therapy

Respiratory care might sound like a strange concept. Why should anyone have to learn how to breathe? But don’t underestimate the benefits of respiratory care. Many patients can benefit immensely.

Firstly, respiratory therapy isn’t always focused on helping patients learn how to breathe. Assisting a patient to breathe through life support is also considered respiratory therapy. While most people take breathing for granted, patients struggling with asthma, lung damage and similar breathing difficulties often need medical intervention to manage their conditions.

Examples of conditions that might require treatment through respiratory therapy include:

  • Asthma
  • Emphysema
  • Bronchitis
  • Sleep breathing disorders

Respiratory therapy can also be beneficial after a patient who suffered a heart attack.

Premature babies are another demographic who can benefit from respiratory therapy. Proper development of the respiratory system is one of the last things to develop in the womb. As a result, babies that are born prematurely might have more difficulty breathing. Respiratory therapy can often help such infants to develop a strong, healthy respiratory system after birth.

Nursing

Nursing is a common home health care service among the elderly, but patients from all ages can benefit. Often times, childhood genetic disorders mean that children need to receive special medical care at home. Some patients also need in-home health care after suffering severe injuries.

In-home nurses offer the same assistance as nurses in hospital would. Things like wound care, medicine management and IV administration can all be done at home.

However, you shouldn’t expect your nurse to perform the work of a qualified physician. An in-home nurse won’t, for instance, be able to adjust the dosages of medicine prescribed by your doctor. Nurses can only administer the correct dosages as prescribed.

While your nurse can’t change the care plan recommended by your doctor, he/she will ensure your loved one gets the exact care your physician recommends.

All in-home nurses must be either registered nurses or licensed practical nurses. Be sure your home care provider uses properly qualified nurses in all applicable cases — where patients have needs requiring professional health assistance.

Health Aides

Health aides aren’t qualified nurses, but they do undergo training to perform their job. While nurses help to administer medication to patients and other health care tasks, health aides help disabled persons with day-to-day activities.

A health aide can help patients by performing homemaking duties and assisting in bathing and feeding.

Another important role of health aides is providing companionship. Elderly and disabled persons are often lonely at home. While some elderly people are fortunate to live with family, other household members are often at work or school during the day. As most persons requiring care are unable to perform many basic tasks themselves, they need aides to avoid loneliness and accomplish daily activities.

Although health aides often help elderly people, disabled persons of all ages could benefit from this home health care service.

Benefits of Home Health Care

Home health care isn’t an option in all situations. Patients that need surgery, or suffered severe trauma still need to go to hospital to get the care they require. Instead of replacing hospital care, home healthcare is often applicable once a patient is discharged as a means to facilitate recovery.

The benefit is that home health care options often allow for patients to be discharged from hospital sooner. This allows a patient to recover in the comfort of their own home. Being in a familiar environment surrounded by loved ones is a clear benefit.

Another benefit is reduced health care costs. Especially in cases where it will take a patient many months to recover, home health care is cheaper than hospitalization.

For a lot of people, however, the biggest benefit of home health care isn’t the cost, but convenience. Having a health care professional come to your doorstep to assist you with your care needs is easier than going to a hospital or a health care practice.

Ongoing health care treatment is often burdensome, especially for patients with impaired movement. Leaving home to receive medical treatment is arduous, even stressful at times. To make matters worse, patients who visit a practice often end up spending a lot of time in the waiting room before each appointment. Home health care is a great choice to reduce the stress involved with ongoing health care treatment while also cutting costs.

Rozanne WildsWhat is Home Health Care? A Guide for Your Family
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Advantis Gives Back

This year Advantis Home Care’s team got together to collect blankets and donated them to Blankets with Bella. These blankets were delivered to children with disabilities throughout the community. As a provider of pediatric home health it is of great value to us to do something extra and for the children. The kids were grateful and showed excitement through hugs, smiles, and their receptive reaction was obvious to us as a team. We will be doing this project each year during the holidays.

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Pediatric Home Health

Advantis Home Care has added a pediatric component to the many services we offer. As a family based organization we empathize and understand the needs of the pediatric community. It is our goal to assist parents and care takers with the needs of their medically complicated children. We understand the challenges that can present themselves when dealing with these cases and pride ourselves in the professionalism of our team. Each case is planned with the parents and we follow the medical recommendations while taking into consideration the personal needs of the families we serve. Advantis provides expert pediatric care from newborn to early adulthood. Our team is available 24 hours a day to make sure patient needs are met in a timely and caring manner. We are working with families in these situations to educate them on the services that they are entitled to receiving and we make sure that they are receiving the correct information, regarding insurances as well as benefits. Our intake team is well versed in this area and spends time educating parents and families on the care of their loved one. As part of our approach with the pediatric patient; we partner up with PPEC’s in the community to give additional services to these patients while encouraging them to be a part of a community and be exposed to outside stimulants. It is our main goal to treat these families as our very own, providing the caring emotional support they need while also giving the professional clinical care their children need.

Pediatric Care Services:

• Infant bilirubin therapy

• Short term recovery care (s/p surgery, trauma)

• Medication infusion therapy

• Chemotherapy

• High tech tracheostomy care

• Wound care

• Foley catheter care

• Asthma care

• Activity of daily living (oral hygiene, skin care, bathing, dressing)

• Enteral feeding/tube feedings

• Central line care

• Educating, training, and supporting families/caregivers

• Physical Therapy/ Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy

Pediatrics patients with Blood disorders:

• Cardiovascular disorders

• Chronic diseases

• Dermatological Disorders

• Endocrine Disorders

• Gastrointestinal Disorders

• Genetic Disorders

• Infectious Disorders

• Immunological Disorders 

• Neurological Disorders

• Oncology/Hematological Disorders

• Orthopedic Disorders

• Renal Disorders

• Respiratory Disorders

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Longevity of Advantis Home Care

Advantis Home Care has been actively serving patients now for 15 years. The longevity of our company stems from our ethical values and commitment to serving our patients as if they were our very own family. We personalize our plan for each patient and make sure all of our field staff is well-trained and dedicated to their patients. Our office personnel spends a lot of time arranging care and communicating with physicians in order to guarantee patient’s medical needs are met. In addition, the empathetic approach we use is considered a vital part of our mission and we make sure all personnel abides by these expectations. Advantis Home Care provides quality assurance with the goal of keeping patients in the comfort of their home. This continuum of care reduces hospital readmission and gives patients hope many times of remaining to some level independent. It is our goal to continue working with high standards and meet patient needs while treating them with the respect that they deserve. We are proud of our years in business and will continue to dedicate our efforts in growing our census while remaining true to our mission.

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Private Duty

A private duty companion is an in-home caregiver that provides many different services to patients, such as homemaking and personal care. Care provided from a private duty companion is typically tailored to best meet the patient’s needs. Private duty companions are typically employed when patients desire to stay in their own homes but require additional care around the home. Private duty companions can provide many different services, including providing companionship, preparing meals, providing transportation, cleaning the home, serving medications and providing help with dressing, bathing and other personal care services. The goal at Advantis Home Care is to provide the private duty options to patients post their home health episode if necessary. Private Duty aides can help patients remain well, active, and out of the hospital while in the comfort of their own home. Personal care services provide seniors and disabled individuals with compassionate assistance for activities of daily living, which may be difficult or unsafe for these individuals to perform on their own. Also referred to as private duty care, these services cover personal activities, like dressing and bathing, and homemaking tasks, like meal preparation and light housekeeping. With private duty home care from Advantis Home Care, your loved one can remain in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible. We create a customized care plan for every client and we will carefully match your loved one with a caregiver who is uniquely qualified to provide care for their needs. Our services will give your loved one the support they deserve and give you the peace of mind you desperately need.

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