Recovering In The Comfort Of Your Own Home

Three Subjects To Cover When You're Interviewing A Home Health Nurse

Arranging for a licensed home health nurse to pay visits to your elderly parent takes a significant burden off your shoulders if you've been traveling to the parent's home to administer care. Home health nurses are qualified to provide care in a number of different ways, meaning that your loved one will be well looked after. When you're ready to hire this health professional, it's beneficial to contact a local home health care agency and arrange an appointment in which you can speak to several aides and conduct short interviews. This process allows you to evaluate each person's credentials and even his or her personality. Be sure to cover these three subjects during this discussion.

Keeping A Log

Ask if the home health nurse customarily keeps a daily log that he or she fills out at the end of each visit to a patient's home. Logs are often used to note each type of service provided during the visit, as well as listing any issues that were encountered. Having this log available helps you not only see the quality of care that your parent is receiving, but also keep track of any problems that appear to be ongoing. For example, if the log notes that your parent slips and falls with growing frequency, it might be time to outfit the home with stability devices such as railings.

Handling Emergencies

Ask the home health nurse to outline a couple patient emergencies that he or she has recently encountered and evaluate how they were handled. It's ideal if the examples can come from patients who might share some similarities with your parent, such as being a fall risk of having dementia. It's important to know how the nurse reacts under pressure and, since you won't likely be present during these emergencies, you want to be sure that your parent is in good hands.

Tenure With Organization

It's often ideal to assess the home health nurse's tenure with his or her current organization. Although there's no universally correct answer to this topic, it's beneficial to hire someone who has shown loyalty to the employer. This can mean that the nurse is less likely to quit or find a different job in the middle of caring for your parent. Your parent and the nurse will often form a bond, which can be broken by someone who switches jobs with considerable frequency. Don't be afraid to even ask if the nurse likes his or her current employer and why; the answer will help you gauge whether the nurse appears happy in the role or might be thinking about leaving. Contact an agency, like First In Care Home Health Agency Inc,  for more help.