Home Care of the Quadriplegic patient - Can You Do it Yourself?

As a young man, my parents were always wholesome and it never crossed my mind that I would eventually have to endure a unblemished role reversal with them. The child takes on the paternal role of caring, nurturing, and coordinating the activities of daily living, and the parent becomes increasingly helpless. This phenomena becomes increasingly apparent as you yourself reach middle age, and peruse so many friends and families take on the roles of primary caregiver of a disabled child, sibling or parent.

In today's health care climate, it's often the only viable selection due to the prohibitive costs of ability home and medical care, and the special attentiveness a quadriplegic sick person requires. On the other hand, no one will take care of your loved ones the way you would, so doing it yourself has many advantages as well as providing peace of mind to the family. Of policy with my background, this kind of personal care for a quadriplegic is easy. However, I have trained many live-in caregivers over the years to aid me, and none of them had any prior medical background. Each provided excellent care, and allowed my loved one to live years beyond anyones' expectations. I perceive each case is dissimilar and this article is not meant to replace a hospice nurse or a visit from a medical doctor. It will however give you an idea of what to expect if you inspecting providing care to a quadriplegic in your home.

Bed Bath And Beyond

Time: You have to first try to fathom the improbable whole of time it takes to care for a quadriplegic patient. The time spent can be divided up into two categories. The time you spend planning and providing care, and the time you spend being confined to the home because leaving them alone simply isn't an option. It can be done if there is a "stay home adult" such as a spouse, to help out. Remember, some patients need attentiveness practically all their waking hours most days of the week, and some need considerably less, depending on the level of function. How is this possible? think the following points.

Feeding: at least 1/2 hour per meal, but if your sick person isn't a good eater, you may spend a few hours in food preparation, coaxing and spoon feeding and encouraging them to simply chew and swallow. Bathing: 1 bath a week burns up about 2 hours in bathing, grooming, dressing. Toileting: While a quadriplegic wears diapers, you may not elect to use stools softeners to the point where the sick person poops in their diapers every other day. So toileting on a bedside commode is an selection that can take about an hour or so per week. Laundry: Sheets, bibs, drool cloths, clothing, towels. Food Preparation: special diet? that takes time! Doctors visits: home visits by the doctor or nurse, or loading up the sick person to take them to the clinic. Skin Maintenance: turn the sick person every 30min to prevent bed sores. This is incredibly important Oral Maintenance: often overlooked, if you don't pay attentiveness to this, the patient's wholesome dentition will quickly decline Conservatorship Any other special medical needs Accounting and booking Other personal affairs

Money: It beyond doubt helps if the sick person has their own financial resources and insurance. I found that the preliminary expenses of setting up your home care is a puny tough, but the monthly expenses aren't as bad. Here are some of the items I recommend. Some may be covered by your insurance.

Diapers: You get what you pay for and the economy they are, the more they leak. Try large diapers, even if your sick person is tiny. recipe or other special diet special Clothing and gowns Hospital bed special mattress: Air filled, self turning Suction device Oral care equipment Bedside commode Bathing equipment Medications, ointments, stool softeners, etc Other incidentals Caregivers on call to give you a break (respite care)

Physical Ability: To handle the care of an adult quadriplegic, you beyond doubt have to be in good shape yourself. There is a lot of lifting dead weight, and a back injuries to the caregiver is a very coarse occurrence. In addition, corporal power to simply turn the patient, pull them up in bed, turn their clothing, exchange them from the wheelchair to the bed, or toileting, all takes a lot of corporal stamina. With that in mind, think this. Do you have the stomach to turn soiled diapers, give toady baths, do oral care in a mouth with rotten teeth, feed the sick person straight through a tube, suction mucous, etc.? You don't want to put yourself and your loved one in a situation you both suffer from and can't get out of.

There are many resources to help you out with many of the above issues. If your loved one isn't yet ready for hospice care but is still gravely disabled, most insurances will cover home nurse visits in what they call a palliative care program. These normally consist of Rns that will come by every now and then and check on the progress, do a medical assessment and help you in seeing a clarification taking care of your sick person at home. So if you determine to go for it, know that you will be providing a assistance that no one else can. Love and care in a familiar house home and environment.

Home Care of the Quadriplegic patient - Can You Do it Yourself?