Pediatric Home Care in Mt. Gilead OH
Parents who have a child with special medical needs sometimes find it hard to face the reality that it is necessary for a person with medical training to care for their child in their home. For some, it can be a big relief to get this kind of assistance and support in their home, rather than having their child spend extended periods of time in hospitals or care facilities where interaction with their family is much more limited. Some children who receive this type of care are recovering from a temporary injury, while others need sustained services due to a permanent disability.
A clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics stresses that the transition from receiving hospital care to home care needs to be approached carefully, using several steps. Home care providers need a coordinated, interdisciplinary care plan that looks beyond the child’s immediate needs and considers the level of health care the child will likely need in the future.
Conditions and Injuries that Lead Families to Seek a Pediatric Home Care Provider
Often, when children receive in home care, it is because their physician has determined that they are “medically fragile.” This means they have a chronic illness that they have lived with in the home for at least a year, or they have a medical condition that necessitated a hospital stay of at least a month. Home care is most common when the child needs daily monitoring and medical treatments and are required to use a special medical device or adaptive equipment.
Common reasons to seek pediatric home care include:
- When a baby is premature, typically born between 24-32 weeks gestation
- Children with a compromised respiratory system. These problems can be a result of anything from traumatic brain injuries, to bronchopulmonary dysplasia, to a permanent or temporary tracheostomy.
- Children with cardiac problems, such as a congenital heart defect
- Children with neurological disorders such as a seizure disorder or cerebral palsy
- Children who are dependent on a ventilator
- Children with a gastronomy issue that requires the use of a feeding tube
Things to ask before hiring a pediatric home care provider:
Parents of children with conditions that require professional medical care in their home are naturally concerned not only for the child who needs care, but for their entire family and household. In order to address their concerns, parents are encouraged to ask questions in order to help them feel as comfortable with the situation as possible. Some of the issues to address include:
- Their experience taking care of children with special medical needs in a home environment?
- What types of licensing, insurance, and accreditation does the caretaker and the agency have?
- Are there other families willing to provide references, and can parents meet providers ahead of time?
- Can the home care provider provide or recommend resources that adults in the home can access to assist the child?
- Are resources available to help family members, especially other children cope with living with a child with special medical needs?
- Do home care providers stay in contact with the child’s physician?
- What type of interaction does the pediatric health caregiver have with other family members and pets?
- Will caregivers come along on family outings?
When parents have the best possible understanding of the care their child will receive in the home, and how it will affect their family, it is easier for them to feel comfortable with receiving the help they need.
If you are considering hiring pediatric home care service in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, call the caring staff at Central Star Home Health at (419) 610-2161. Providing services for families in Mansfield, Lexington, Ashland, Bellville, Crestline, Galion, Loudonville, Mt. Gilead, Shelby, Wooster and the surrounding areas.
Source
https://www.bayada.com/pediatrics/questions-to-ask.asp , http://handtohold.org/resources/meet-the-provider/what-does-a-pediatric-home-health-provider-do-skilled-nursing-care-at-home/ , http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/5/996.full , http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16882849
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