Tag: patient recovery

Focuses on patient recuperation and rehabilitation at home.

  • A Guide for Sick and Elderly Care at Home in Mumbai

    A Guide for Sick and Elderly Care at Home in Mumbai

    Doctors are the first line of approach to cure sickness and manage the ailments in the elderly. However, patient care and elderly care can be managed within the comfort of home, with the right approach. Being at home and receiving proper care ensures faster physical recovery and supports emotional well-being. The best part is that it reduces hospital visits drastically.

    Let us see how families in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai can provide professional, safe, effective, and stress-free home care. It starts with compassion and gets better with patience and careful planning. A suggested step-by-step approach for taking care of the sick and elderly at home is presented below:

    Step 1: Planning

    Planning the patient’s or elderly care needs with clarity is the first step in fruitful home care.

    Assessing the Requirements:

    Evaluate the patient’s condition with the help of a Doctor to decide on the home nursing requirements of the patient / elderly member. Get clarity on whether a full-time or part-time assistant in the form of a trained nurse or home care attendant is needed. The elderly mostly need help with daily chores, and a trained home care attendant can meet this requirement. Whereas a patient or a sick person would need a trained home care nurse.

    Prioritise:

    Identify and enlist all essential services that are likely to be needed. All their contact details should be pasted at a suitable place in the house or kept at a prominent place that is easily accessible.

    • Doctors
    • 24-hour Pharmacy
    • Hospitals in the close vicinity
    • Pathology Laboratories
    • Physiotherapist
    • Home care service providers in Mumbai

    Make a monthly budget:

    • Funds should be allocated to medicines and medical supplies. Simple medical instruments that measure blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen levels (Oximeter), body temperature (Digital thermometer), medicine organiser, etc., should be available.
    • Also, keep a budget for home modifications to suit patient or elderly care.
    • Budget for a home care attendant or home nurse.

    Proper planning eliminates last-minute anxieties.

    Step 2: Organising

    Take the help of professionally trained home care nurses or home care attendants. The good agencies provide such certified and trained staff according to your requirements. You can hire them for different time durations like hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.  

    • Hiring nurses or elderly care attendants for fixed hours instead of a 24-hour shift will save you costs.
    • Professional home nursing in Mumbai has multiple benefits, like preventing the development of complications, reducing hospital visits, and leading to savings in the long run.
    • Even a few hours of professional support daily improves patient outcomes and significantly reduces emergency costs.

    You can also seek help from friends and family to take care of the sick and elderly, but in today’s times, this option seems nearly impossible. Moreover, there won’t be a standardised care pattern, which is available with a professional home nurse or home care attendant.  

    Step 3: Implementing

    With your budgeting done and home care services organised, it is time to put your plan into implementation.

    • Medicine Organisers: Keep all the medicines in the medicine organiser so that not a single dose of any medication is missed. This is vital for faster and better health outcomes.
    • Medical Reports: All pathology lab reports, etc. along with prescriptions should be kept in one place. This helps in a big way while discussing the case with a medical practitioner.
    • Do routine health check-ups.
    • Diet and Hydration guidelines to be taken from a certified professional, such as a nutritionist. This improves recovery time.
    • Exercise and Mobility are necessary. Ensure it.
    • Hygiene and Cleanliness to be maintained at any cost. This prevents infections, reducing hospital visits. Prevention is better than cure.
    • Leverage technology: Consulting doctors online instead of frequent hospital visits saves hassle and cost.
    • Monitor health of the subject daily through medical devices like Blood pressure monitors, glucometers, and oximeters.
    • Set reminders for medicine, tests and doctor consultations.
    • Give emotional support through family presence. This makes the patients and the elderly feel comfortable and reduces their stress.
    • If need be, arrange for home psychology sessions.

    Conclusion

    Effective home nursing and elderly care at home in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai require proper planning and professional support. Following these steps with trusted home care services helps ensure faster recovery, emotional well-being, and fewer hospital visits, bringing peace of mind to families.

  • Do’s and Don’ts to Reduce Hospital Visits through Effective Home Care

    Do’s and Don’ts to Reduce Hospital Visits through Effective Home Care

    Proper home care is a cornerstone of better health outcomes. When managed correctly, it significantly reduces avoidable hospital visits – a major relief for patients and their caregivers. Hospital trips, especially for the elderly or chronically ill, can be physically uncomfortable, emotionally draining, financially burdensome, and disruptive to family life.

    Reducing hospital visits without compromising the patient’s well-being should be a top priority. Below is a comprehensive guide of Do’s and Don’ts that, when implemented consistently, foster a structured approach to caregiving. Following these guidelines can help improve recovery, prevent emergencies, and ensure emotional and physical comfort for the patient and their loved ones.

    Do’s: Best practices for effective Home Care

    1. Follow medical advice diligently

    • Always adhere to the doctor’s recommendations and care plan.

    2. Administer medication on schedule

    • Give prescribed medications at the correct times to prevent complications or deterioration.
    • Use a pillbox or medicine organiser.
    • Set reminders or alarms on your phone.
    • Maintain a medication chart to track doses.

    3. Maintain Hygiene and Cleanliness

    • A clean environment is vital for preventing infections, especially in bedridden or elderly patients.
    • Change the patient’s position every 2–3 hours to prevent bedsores.
    • Use soft bedding and medicated creams when needed.

    4. Change Bed Linen regularly

    • Ideally, bed linen is to be changed every three days.
    • For patients with chronic illness, excessive perspiration, or oil gland activity, change linen daily or every other day.

    5. Ensure clean Sanitation facilities

    • Keep the toilet area clean and odour-free to ensure dignity, comfort, and infection control.

    6. Support Emotional and Mental health

    • Never let the patient feel lonely – loneliness can worsen illness.
    • Spend quality time, engage in conversations, and encourage social interaction.

    7. Seek Psychological support when needed

    • If signs of anxiety, depression, or behavioural changes appear, consult a mental health professional.

    8. Practice Hand hygiene

    • Wash or sanitize your hands before and after caregiving.
    • Disinfect commonly touched surfaces regularly.

    9. Monitor Vital Signs Regularly

    • Keep devices like a BP monitor, glucometer, oximeter, and thermometer handy.
    • Track readings of blood pressure, sugar, oxygen levels, and temperature.
    • Maintain a log to identify abnormalities early.

    10. Provide Nutritious food and ensure proper Hydration

    • Consult a certified nutritionist to create a tailored diet plan.
    • Ensure the patient stays hydrated.
    • Proper nutrition and hydration boost immunity, promote healing, and aid chronic condition management.

    11. Schedule Regular Health Check-ups

    • Follow up with routine tests and doctor visits as advised.
    • Keep all medical reports organized and accessible.

    12. Consider professional Home Nursing Services

    • Hire trained caregivers or nurses from reputable agencies.
    • These services reduce stress for family members and accelerate recovery for the patient.
    • Options range from hourly, weekly, monthly, to annual care based on need.
    • Always ensure background checks (including police verification) are done.

    13. Display Emergency contact information prominently

    • Create a visible list of nearby hospitals, ambulance services, doctors, diagnostic centers, and pharmacies.
    • In an emergency, this saves crucial time and could save life.

    Don’ts: Common Mistakes to Avoid

    1. Don’t ignore Minor symptoms

    • Signs like fever, fatigue, dizziness, or persistent cough may indicate a brewing health issue.
    • Encourage the patient to report any discomfort promptly.

    2. Avoid Self-medication

    • Never administer medicine without consulting a doctor.
    • Self-treatment can lead to side effects, allergies, or drug resistance.

    3. Don’t skip Diagnostic tests

    • Tests are essential for identifying underlying health issues.
    • Skipping them can delay diagnosis and treatment.

    4. Don’t neglect Mental and Emotional health

    • Behavioural changes, anxiety, or signs of depression should be addressed promptly.
    • Mental well-being directly affects physical recovery.

    Summary

    Effective home care reduces unnecessary hospital visits and provides comfort, safety, and dignity to patients. By following medical guidance, ensuring a clean environment, monitoring health, and addressing emotional needs, caregivers can create a healing space that supports long-term well-being.