How to Work with a Home Care Nursing Agency

Providing nursing care is to provide skilled services that can not be performed safely and effectively by nonprofessional personnel. Home care, also known as domiciliary care, is health care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals or by family and friends also known as caregivers, primary caregiver, or voluntary caregivers who give informal care.

Some tips and ways of working with Home Care nursing are as follows:

1. No patient should be left without care when care is supposed to be provided. If your home care agency tells you that no caregiver is available, the owner should give care unless an alternate caregiver is named.
2. Abuses should be reported to the police as well as to the agency delivering care, such as: - any kind of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
3. Carry all discharge papers back to home. The home care agency should already have a copy. Also make sure that you have been given contact information for your chosen agency.
4. Prepare for the initial visit by having available insurance cards and current medications.
5. Don't forget to make a list of questions or concerns you or your family may have.
6. De-stress before the nurse arrives by taking a short break of 15-20 minutes. Listen carefully to what your nurse says. Ask questions even if it sounds silly, and take notes.
7. Know that the nurse is in the home to teach the patient and their caregivers and be a source of information and support.
8. Actively participate in planning your care with your nurse.
9. Be aware of any other visiting staff that has been ordered.
10. Make and keep all follow-up appointments with your health care providers.
11. Home Care worker visits many patients in a day and at times cannot be there at the exact time promised.
12. Provide your nurse and the agency with feed-back that you feel is important to your care. Work towards your goals and if you encounter difficulties, tell your nurse.
13. Worries about your personal appearance or the appearance of your house should be left aside.
14. You should feel perfectly safe at all times with all agency staff. If you do not, contact the agency office.
15. Always check before opening the door. Don't assume the knock at your door is your nurse. It could be someone else.

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