How to Get a Home Care Nurse

Ask almost any older person and you’ll probably hear their hope for the future is to remain living in their own home, and for their family to be happy and heathy.

While some older people understand they might need to move ’one day’, few are ready to entertain the idea before they really need to. Most express a desire to maintain their independence and privacy for as long as possible.

But if you have a chat with their adult children, and you will likely hear a different side of the story. For loved ones, worries about an ageing parent’s health and safety top the list of concerns.

While family members want to honour their loved one’s wishes, they are fearful of all the things that could go wrong, too.

For example, what if their family member falls during the night and can’t reach the phone to call for help? Or they may make a mistake with a medication that causes a medical emergency?

Sometimes issues like a poor diet or a sedentary lifestyle can lead to unforeseen emergencies. These are legitimate reasons for adult children to worry.

Providing solutions that allow families to meet in the middle is essential. One to consider is hiring a home care nurse. These compassionate professionals bring their skilled services right to a senior’s home.

What Is a Home Care Nurse and How Do They Help Older Australians?

Home care nurses are specialists in the field of aged care. They are empathetic carer givers who understand how to support an older adult’s needs while also allowing them to feel independent and in control of their lives.

An in-home nurse can also act as a liaison between a senior’s GP and other specialist medical practitioners. This helps ensure that the older adult is on track with medications, health care screenings, wound care, and more.

A home care nurse can also assess the senior’s diet and how active they are. Both play a role in fall prevention and overall well-being.

As the nurse learns more about a patient or client, they may be able to identify and intervene in small concerns before they become bigger, more serious issues. This kind of proactive approach can help prevent hospitalisations.

For adult children, knowing a home care nurse is evaluating their loved one on a regular basis helps reduce fears. This type of service, when combined with a medical alert device, often gives families peace of mind.

Paying for a Home Care Nurse

Families new to home care often wonder how these services cost. It’s a good question to ask and thoroughly understand before moving forward.

In general terms, there are three different ways to pay for a home care nurse:

• A Home Care Package the government helps to fund
• Self-funded, also known as ‘private fee-for-service’ - using the senior’s or their family’s personal resources
• Hybrid plan that incorporates some government assistance and some private payment

The home care agency you eventually hire will be able to assist you in this process.

Hiring a Home Care Nurse

If you would like to learn more about enlisting the services of a home care nurse, please contact Mayflower. One of our experienced team members can answer your questions and help you determine whether this type of care best meets your senior loved one’s needs.