More and more often, people are opting for professional home care agencies to assist with the care of young patients being diagnosed with a disability or chronic medical condition. There are numerous benefits associated with in-home care for both the patient and their family, while caregivers themselves also gain many rewarding experiences.

3 Reasons to Utilize Home Care

Cost Effectiveness
Many people assume that having home-based nursing is more expensive than sending their child to a facility for long term care. However, this is not necessarily true. Home care is generally less expensive than its counterparts, and it allows children to remain in the comfort of their homes while receiving the clinical care required.

Companionship
A home care nurse provides great companionship for your child or family member. With someone there to talk to and play with, the likelihood that a child becomes lonely, as they might if left in a facility or hospital, is diminished. The nurse can provide the companionship a child might otherwise receive through peer relationships.

Support System
Home-based nursing generally reduces stress for everyone involved. A child typically feels more at ease in their natural environment, and avoids the experience of frequent visits to unfamiliar places or growing accustomed to always seeing strangers. Home care is also often easier for the child’s family members because it allows them to share the responsibilities of the child’s well-being. With an in-home nurse, the family can enjoy more quality, uninterrupted time together.

Why Choose Home Care for Medically Fragile Children?

Traditionally, experts advise that family-based care be given to a child who is medically fragile. Other placement options, such as in nursing or group institutions, are only suggested when in-home family care is not an option. As one may suspect, the reason behind this overwhelming agreement among the medical community is based on conventional notions of the importance of childhood. Children, medically fragile or otherwise, require an environment that fosters development and learning. Love, attention, acceptance, and a familial structure all aid in healthy growth. Though institutionalized care has made vast improvements within the past 25 years, often they lack the authenticity that a family provides. Because of this, in-home care is widely favored in comparison to institutionalized care in relation to medically fragile children.

 

Difficulties of Home Care

While the medical community urges in-home care for medically fragile children, this does not mean that it is a simple task. In fact, the difficulties of in-home care are often the primary reason for a family’s choice of institutionalized care. In-home care requires extensive training and knowledge on the part of the child’s primary caregiver, including staying connected with various medical professionals, maintaining a strict schedule, providing and enforcing a healthy and personalized diet, operating machinery, and much more. This complicated nature of in-home care combined with the financial burdens of caring for a medically fragile child can be stressful for the family unit. Commitment, patience, communication, and perseverance are all necessary to providing a rich and authentic in-home care experience.

 

Available Assistance for Home Care Families

Though in-home care of medically fragile children may be difficult on families, it is important to remember that outside help is available. Experts encourage the use of experienced nurses to assist in the maintenance and care of these children and their families, rather than traditional aids or assistance. The reason for this is because pediatric nurses are specially trained in technology, care, and policy regarding medically fragile children and are more equipped to deal with any and all questions that may arise. Additionally, private or public organizations that provide families with specialized nurses are in-tune with the medical field and more readily provide additional services, such as training to family members, assistance with administering smooth transitions from hospital to home, and mediating and regulating other medical needs, such as with insurance companies and doctors.

 

Why Choose J&D Ultracare for Home Care Assistance

The importance of choosing the right organization depends on the family. J&D Ultracare prides itself on over a century of combined medical proficiency in the pediatric nursing field, particularly as it pertains to the care of medically fragile children. We stand out from others because we are there for our patients and their families, conduct our work with care, compassion, empathy, and love. We are equipped to provide care to technologically dependent children, and help their families navigate through the complexities of such care. Furthermore, our organization is broken down into various departments, all who are able to provide additional assistance to the family in various ways, including care coordination, on-call availability, and flexible scheduling. If you are considering in-home care for your medically fragile child, or know someone who may be, consider calling J&D Ultracare with any questions, or to schedule a consultation.

An article from azdailysun.com discusses a new method of treating cavities that utilizes a fluid, called SDF. This method does not require the use of anaesthetic, which could represent a significant breakthrough in treating cavities for medically fragile children who have a low tolerance for anaesthetic or the elderly who may be frightened by the drill.

Read the article here:  https://azdailysun.com/news/local/game-changer-brush-on-liquid-helps-kids-avoid-anguish-of/article_3bd980db-7ee5-5754-a356-719140e7c4ef.html

An article from SchoolTransportNews discusses a document posted by the American Academy of Pediatrics that details new recommendations and suggestions towards safe transportation on school transportation.

Read the story here:  http://stnonline.com/news/latest-news/item/9476-paper-details-best-practices-of-transporting-children-with-special-health-care-needs