Understanding Home Health Care Challenges

Given that about 795,000 people in the United States experience a stroke each year in the United States and almost 3/4 of those are the first stroke for those persons, it's obvious that making plans for life after a parent has experienced a stroke is essential. Since few people want to move into a nursing home when other viable alternatives exist, in-home nursing has become increasingly popular in recent years. Therefore, it's a good idea to be aware of the following tips for choosing the most appropriate in-home nursing agency for your mom or dad who has recently experienced a stroke.

Determine The Amount And Extent Of Care That Your Parent Will Need

One of the more challenging aspects of determining the future needs of your mom or dad depends on obtaining an accurate estimate of their current health and needs. Since there are different types of strokes and each stroke is unique to the patient, it's only going to be possible to choose the right agency or provider when you first know what your parent needs during their recovery.

For instance, if memory problems resulted from the stroke, specific memory retraining steps are often necessary, long-term. If an occipital stroke was the diagnosis, vision changes are commonly reported. In that instance, occupational therapy is often recommended, although the likelihood of recovery can vary tremendously from one patient to the next. That means that when choosing a home health care agency, you should make sure that the different professionals are available from each agency in question to assist your mom or dad.    

Ask How Effective Is The Communication Between Family Members, Caregivers And Outside Medical Staff 

Whether you live around the corner from your mom or dad or on the other side of the world, if you're involved in important decisions at the time of the stroke, you probably expect to remain involved for the foreseeable future. Of course, that is assuming that you have permission from your parent to do so. The same is true of your parent's doctors, so it only makes sense that effective communication between everyone is crucial.

By extension, you might find that by verifying now the extent, type, and frequency of communications you can expect to get from the persons providing your care and the agency itself, it's easier to choose an agency with whom to entrust your parent's health. 

In conclusion, many people experience a stroke each year, often resulting in varying levels of disability and extended periods of recovery. As a result, it's important to choose the right home health agency in order to permit your mom and dad to stay in their home after a stroke. Fortunately, the above advice will help you to do so. For more information, contact a business such as Assured Home Nursing Services Inc.