Care Home Roles
No matter how much you would want to take care of your relatives personally, there will be unforeseen difficulties that can mar your best of intentions.
That is why it is far more practical and prudent to look for a good care home for a relative who needs special attention during illness or injury.
In fact, care homes these days are no longer confined to just providing services and facilities for common illness; rather they have evolved to play a proactive role in different situations so that you can take care of your relatives in the best possible manner.
Providing Personal Care Care homes (also known as residential homes) provide a safe and healthy living condition for the elderly who require some assistance in their everyday chores but do not need specialized nursing.
Such care homes have specially trained carers that help the elderly residents with their regular mobility, eating, washing, cleaning and going to the toilet and so on.
The staffs are trained to provide normal care for short-term, minor illness (such as fever) but do not provide any specialized nursing care.
Providing Nursing Care Care homes that provide nursing care along with the regular services (as mentioned above) are referred to as nursing homes.
Such are homes are intended for those that require regular nursing care along with assistance for performing the regular activities of life.
Such homes have professionally trained nurses on site 24x7x365 days apart from the regular carers.
There are plenty of care homes that provide both personal and nursing care and are ideally suited for those that require regular assistance for normal activities and also nursing care for a disability or temporary illness.
Providing Intermediate Care There are plenty of care homes that have small dedicated units within their premises that offer intermediate care.
Such facilities become necessary when a person has been afflicted with a minor illness that does not require hospitalization but cannot be nursed at home either because of several factors.
Or for those patients who have been discharged from the hospital and needs further care to nurse them to good health before they can resume regular activities.
Providing Short-Term Care This is another form of intermediate care and can be availed in situations that require short-term care.
Such situations may arise in case the regular home carer has taken a short holiday or has gone on leave because of unavoidable circumstances.
Duration of such short-term care usually lasts from a few days to a few weeks.
Providing End of Life Palliative Care End of life is one of those crucial times when no amount of nursing or care seems enough for your loved one.
You want to do your best and this is where a good care home can make all the difference to the quality of life enjoyed by the patient during the last stages of his life.
Palliative care for the sick and dying include management of pain, physical care, psychological and spiritual support and so on.
It helps the patient endure suffering in a dignified manner and also helps relatives and friends cope with this difficult situation with grace and fortitude.