At-Home Nursing Services Vs. Assisted Living: Are There Differences?
Posted on: 11 December 2017
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These days you hear a lot about in-home or at-home nursing services and healthcare. There are also assisted living services provided in the comfort of a client's home. What exactly are the differences, if any? The following information will clarify things for you.
Assisted Living at Home
Assisted living in a client's home are services provided for clients that are still able to do a lot for themselves, but may need a little extra help here and there, or just need some company. A nurse's aid can do most of the work, even though the client's family could hire a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, too. If a client is on any sort of medication that needs to be monitored and given by a nurse, then the client needs at least an LPN because a nurse's aid cannot administer such medications.
At-Home Nursing Services
These are services provided by a licensed and/or registered nurse. Very rarely are nurse's aids allowed to provide these services as they do not have the licensing or state registration that would legally allow them to practice many of the nursing skills involved. These nurses provide wound care, attend to bed sores (if applicable), change bandages and administer pain medication and antibiotics, provide physical support for bathroom needs when a patient is unable to walk on his/her own, catheter a patient if a patient is immobile, and administer IV and needle and syringe medications.
In short, at-home nursing services are more advanced nursing skills and care than just assisted living. Most of the clients that require this level of care have recently had surgery, are bedridden, at end stages of cancer or another disease, and/or have chosen to spend the rest of their days in their own home rather than a nursing home. Services provided are typically around the clock as well, and not just during the day.
Choosing the Correct Service for Your Loved One
Clearly, if you have a loved one in need of hospital care, but you both have agreed to receive care at home, that is an ideal situation. If your loved one is a parent who is consistently alone and has trouble with daily tasks or you are concerned that he or she may have an accident in or out of the house, assisted living is the better option. Making the right choice depends entirely on the level of care your loved one needs.