Home is where the heart is, so they say. It is also the place where the majority of traumatic recovery takes place. According to WebMD, “More of your health care takes place in your home than anywhere else. Having the right tools, medicines, supplies, and information on hand will improve the quality of your self-care.” This is an important step in the recovery process and you may need some help. First things first: what can you do to make sure the home environment is conducive to your needs? Here is a checklist to help you set up your home care environment:
- Durable Medical Equipment: DME is essential to aid in home health care and recovery. This type of equipment includes special hospital beds, oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, motorized scooters, walkers, and canes.
- Consumable Medical Supplies: depending on specific circumstances, your home health care center will most likely require basic medical supplies such as dressings, bandages, gauze pads, latex or nitrile gloves, syringes, and prescription medications. In order to ensure you have ample supplies on hand, a simple checklist and regular inventory should be accomplished. Consumable supplies should be kept in a central location for ease of access.
- Medical Records: medical records are pivotal to ongoing care and future diagnosis. It is imperative that they are kept safe and accessible. A fire and waterproof strongbox can be easily procured at a local retailer in a variety of sizes and for every budget.
- Professional Help: full time care of a recovering loved one can be overwhelming and may even require expert help. There are many agencies that can provide home health care services including physical therapy, registered nursing, and certified home health care aides, nutritional counseling, and occupational therapists.
The transition from average person to home health hero can be a difficult one. Fortunately there are few things you can do to set up your home health center and there are professional agencies that can help you every step of the way.
