Nurses

Home care nurses play a crucial role in community healthcare. They make house calls, administer medication, offer emotional support, and adapt quickly to different environments — often under challenging conditions. This article gives a glimpse into a day in the life of one such nurse. “I used to be a staff nurse at Bogoro (Providence) Hospital for 12 years,” she shares. “also worked on wards where patients needed medication at specific times and also assisted in theatre. I left after responding to an ad that read, ‘Whoever has speed and faith, this job is for you.’“ “Home care nursing is very difficult,” she admits. “You’re always on the road, often under the scorching sun. You leave one patient’s home only to return in an hour or two. These patients wake up early they want their food and medicine on time.” On the Frontlines with Limited Support At the hospital gate, she met Esther, another dedicated nurse. Esther guided her through a back path, past the cleaners’ toilet, into a white room lined with lockers. Near it, patients waited on wooden benches in a sage-green waiting room. Esther and her team are responsible for the health of a community of about 150,000 people. “We’ve only been working together for three months,” Esther says. “We don’t have any resources. We open the gate of a home and just pray no one cuts our skin. Nurses deserve better support.” Every day, home care nurses provide essential care that often goes unnoticed. They work with compassion, skill, and resilience. One patient said, “I’ve got someone who comes in once a week — she’s been with me for years. If she’s not here, it makes the day a lot harder.” Another woman shared, “Every day, home care nurses go about providing salubrious, our very lives, in so many ways.” Morning Routine: Starting the Day with Purpose For home care nurses, the day usually begins with a routine that sets the tone for the rest of their shift. For example, Sarah, a home care nurse with a decade of experience, starts her day at 7:00 a.m. She walks into her room and reviews her schedule one of six itineraries outlining visits to patients with a variety of needs, from wound care to chronic condition management. Sarah’s first visit is to Mr. Thompson, now 88, who recently underwent hip surgery. She rings his bell right on time, and his wife greets her with heartfelt gratitude. Sarah carefully inspects his surgical wound, checks his vitals, administers pain medication, and offers reassuring words. This early morning visit not only addresses Mr. Thompson’s medical needs but also boosts his confidence in the recovery process, laying a strong foundation for his day. Mid-Morning: Navigating Complex Care Needs  By mid-morning, her schedule slows down only slightly thanks to several required visits to patients who need more care. For example, is the story of Emily, one of Wagner’s home care nurses, who stops by Mrs Rodriguez’s home during her mid-morning. She administers medication, does range-of-motion exercises, and offers emotional support to Mrs Rodriguez, a woman living with advanced multiple sclerosis.  Emily has built a strong bond with Mrs Rodriguez, who enjoys her visits almost as much for company and intellectual stimulation as for her medical care. On this day, Emily sees that her patient is looking even more haggard than usual. She encourages her to vent about any new symptoms or worries. After a careful but empathetic ear, Mrs Rodriguez is glad that her new symptoms are being handled, and Emily has adjusted her care plan. This kind of detailed, personalized care, characteristic of home care nurses, helps to manage patient symptoms. Lunch Break: Reflecting and Recharging  Lunchtime is one of the only breaks in the routine where they might compare notes with one another on how their morning visits went – adjust their hints for the afternoon – and just take a moment to digest. The break is for lunch but also for emotional replenishment, because home care nurses will experience profoundly intimate and sometimes distressing scenes.  For a home-care nurse providing palliative care, James, lunch can be a chance to process the morning visits with his team, ex Together they offer a closing and emotively, helping stead to do more. ‘The only place it doesn’t work at is picking up.’  Afternoon: Adapting to Changing Needs  Each day has its unique problems and opportunities, and the afternoon often presents particular challenges for nurses such as Rachel, who takes care of individuals with dementia and tries to keep their behavioral symptoms under control, as well as create some sense of normalcy. During her afternoon shift, Rachel checks in on Mr. Wilson, who has late-stage Alzheimer’s disease. As she enters, she finds Mr. Wilson agitated and confused about his location—an issue that often arises in dementia care. Nevertheless, Rachel remains calm, using gentle language and intuitive redirection to guide him toward a favorite activity: putting together a puzzle. In this moment, we clearly see how patience and creativity serve as essential tools in effective dementia care. Late Afternoon: Coordinating with Families and Healthcare Providers  And, in the later part of the day, their care for older adults also means coordinating between home-care nurses, families, and other frontline healthcare providers to ensure the best care possible. A lot of this work would involve deliberation, collaboration, and patient communication.  For example, Jessica, the home care nurse who is visiting a patient with diabetes to ensure that he’s keeping his blood sugar levels in the normal range, has spent her mid-afternoon talking with the patient’s family and his primary care physician to update them on recent changes in blood sugar and the latest adjustments in medications. She has also taken the time to educate the patient’s family members about caring for him between their visits and coordinated details of his current condition and issues with the nurse at his doctor’s office. Though the focus of this particular nurse is on delivering patient care, her role includes

 Living with a chronic illness is physically draining. It is also an emotional struggle. For many patients, dealing with their condition becomes a full-time job. Home care services can make all the difference, helping patients stay at home and continue receiving the help they need. Many patients find it easier to accept and cope with illness and disease when they can remain at home surrounded by loved ones. Home care services bring the help to the patient. Here are five ways it can improve their quality of life. 1. Personalized and Flexible Care Customized Care Plans Home care services personalize care for each patient by creating care plans based on the patient’s condition, individual requirements, preferences, and lifestyle. As such, each time a patient needs some assistance with their daily activities, medical tablets, injections, or other kinds of medical care, they will have the exact care that they need. Flexible Scheduling  In contrast with the fixed schedules of most institutional care settings, home care services are flexible and can be provided to patients at times most suited to their habits and routines, be it during the day, evening, or overnight. Patients’ daily routines and personal preferences can be better preserved, enabling a more comfortable and less disruptive experience.  2. Enhanced Comfort and Convenience Familiar Environment  Being cared for within the confines of one’s home has been found to enhance a patient’s comfort and emotional stability. Having personal possessions and the security of family and friends nearby helps to minimize anxiety and stress, which can be particularly valuable for those suffering from chronic illnesses. Reduced Travel Burden  The most important feature of home care is that visits to hospitals or clinics are no longer necessary, relieving patients physically and mentally. Besides, home care lowers patients`s stress related to transport and long waits in hospitals since doctors and nurses come to their homes. 3. Comprehensive Support for Daily Living Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)  Home care services, tending to activities of daily living (ADLs) for a patient in their own home, often include assistance in bathing, dressing, grooming, and preparing meals. Fulfilling ADL support for patients means that they avoid falling when showering, or that they can eat a decent meal to keep them nourished during their time of illness or physical obstacles which would otherwise leave them without essential care. It allows them to accomplish the tasks required to care for themselves, which contributes to their quality of life and ultimately supports longevity. Household Management  Further to personal care, assistance with home care duties, like light housekeeping, laundry, and shopping are often provided to help patients with the day-to-day organization of a home. For a chronically ill patient, these responsibilities can be a source of stress for patients and caregivers. Without assistance, personal care can be a financial burden and take valuable time away from essential self-care, such as getting enough sleep and rest. 4. Continuous Medical Monitoring and Care Skilled Nursing Services  Several home-care agencies can provide skilled nursing, including changing dressings and providing injections, as well as monitoring symptoms such as blood pressure or oxygen levels. Nurses can also administer complex medication regimens including injected medications that must be administered at the right time of day, or specific hours, which can help maintain chronic symptoms under better control with higher patient satisfaction and fewer complications. Regular Health Assessments  Home care direct care staff conduct regular health assessments to follow the HADM, adapting the care plan and making changes as the condition of the patient changes over time. With such a comprehensive health monitoring system, issues can be caught before they negatively affect the patient, and these issues can be dealt with either through telehealth or home visits before the patient requires hospitalization.  5. Emotional Support and Companionship Social Interaction Often, people with chronic illness can feel isolated, lonely, and demoralized. However, home care can provide a vital form of companionship as part of the care offered. Caregivers can engage in meaningful conversations with the patient, encourage them, help keep them “engaged,” and remind them of their former lives and connections. Family Support and Education  Home care services also provide family members with education on how to care for the person. Caregivers can teach family members how to perform special medical procedures and guide familial support on how to manage the illness at home. This empowers families so that they can feel more prepared and confident. In turn, this can reduce stress for caregivers and improve family functioning overall.  the provision of home care services aims to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic diseases Home care services incorporate two main themes mutually beneficial to patients. First, home care services can assist in improving the patient’s physical quality of life. For example, they could provide targeted, flexible, and comfort-focused physical care, which could help patients feel better and manage their daily lives, allowing them to live a happier home life; or offer ongoing medical monitoring and care, such as tracheostomy changes or endotracheal suction, to prevent the development of complications; or provide round-the-clock nursing care.