Registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) provide skilled services that cannot be performed safely and effectively by nonprofessional personnel. Some of these services include injections and intravenous therapy, wound care, education on disease treatment and prevention, and patient assessments. RNs may also provide case management services. RNs have received two or more years of specialized education and are licensed to practice by the state. LPNs have one year of specialized training and are licensed to work under the supervision of registered nurses. The complexity of a patient's medical condition and required course of treatment determine whether care should be provided by an RN or can be provided by an LPN.
Physical therapists (PTs) work to restore the mobility and strength of patients who are limited or disabled by physical injuries through the use of exercise, massage, and other methods. PTs often alleviate pain and restore injured muscles with specialized equipment. They also teach patients and caregivers special techniques for walking and transfer and exercise programs to improve and maintain function and strength.
Social workers evaluate the social and emotional factors affecting ill and disabled individuals and provide limited counseling. They also help patients and their family members identify available community resources. Social workers often serve as case managers when patients' conditions are so complex that professionals need to assess medical and supportive needs and coordinate a variety of services.
Speech language pathologists work to develop and restore the speech of individuals with communication disorders; usually these disorders are the result of traumas such as surgery or stroke. Speech therapists also help retrain patients in breathing, swallowing, and muscle control.
Occupational therapists (OTs) help individuals who have physical, developmental, social, or emotional problems that prevent them from performing the general activities of daily living (ADLs). OTs instruct patients on using specialized rehabilitation techniques and equipment to improve their function in tasks such as eating, bathing, dressing, and basic household routines.
Dietitians provide counseling services to individuals who need professional dietary assessment and guidance to properly manage an illness or disability and maintain healthy nutrition.
Home health aides assist patients with ADLs such as getting in and out of bed, walking, bathing, toileting, and dressing. They may also do light housekeeping and simple meal preparation. Some aides have received special training and are qualified to provide more complex services under the supervision of a nursing professional.
Home services workers (sometimes referred to as homemakers , chore workers or companions) assists with activities of daily living, such as housekeeping, cleaning, personal laundry, meal preparation, dressing, bathing, shopping and companionship. Home services are focused on providing assistance that is non-medical in nature, but is based upon assisting the client in meeting the demands of living independently and maintaining a personal residence.
Volunteers meet a variety of patient needs. The scope of a volunteer's services depends on his or her level of training and experience. Volunteer activities include, but are not limited to providing companionship, emotional support, and counseling and helping with personal care, paperwork, and transportation.
Clergy provide pastoral support to hospice patients, their families and friends dealing with the loss of a loved one for up to 13 months following death.
Physicians visit patients in their homes to diagnose and treat illnesses just as they do in hospitals and private offices. They also work with home care providers to determine which services are needed by patients, which specialists are most suitable to render these services, and how often these services need to be provided. With this information, physicians prescribe and oversee patient plans of care. Under Medicare, physicians and home health agency personnel review these plans of care as often as required by the severity of patient medical conditions at least once every 62 days. The interdisciplinary team reviews the care plans for hospice patients and their families at least once a month, or as frequently as patient conditions and/or family circumstances require.
|
