Elderly home health care is more than just a service; it’s a lifeline for seniors seeking to maintain their health and independence within the comfort of their own homes. This approach combines medical assistance with personalized care, allowing seniors to flourish both emotionally and physically.

Effective medication management is crucial for improving patient health outcomes and adherence. By organizing prescriptions, tracking dosages accurately, and scheduling medication intake, patients can achieve better health and avoid complications. This guide will tackle the essential strategies and advanced techniques for managing medications effectively at home, ensuring optimal patient care and safety. Organizing Prescriptions for Better Health  Organizing prescriptions is a fundamental aspect of effective medication management. Utilizing tools such as pill organizers can significantly reduce the risk of missed doses and ensure that medications are taken correctly. Pill organizers come in various forms, including daily, weekly, and monthly setups, allowing patients to choose the one that best fits their needs. Maintaining an updated medication list is another critical practice. This list should include all current medications, dosages, and schedules. It is essential to update this list regularly and share it with healthcare providers to avoid potential drug interactions and ensure coordinated care. Clear labeling of medications is also vital. Labels should include the medication name, dosage, and instructions for use, making it easier for patients to follow their prescribed regimen.

Our area has been experiencing extreme heat in the past few weeks. CritiCare would like to review tips for our caregivers to stay hydrated during this hot season. Hydration is very important in the summer, especially if you are doing any physical activity with your clients outside. This post will review tips recommended by the Center of Disease Control to beat dehydration, keeping you safe and healthy. Drink PLENTY of water Drinking plenty of water is one of the best tips to remember. When our nurses and personal care assistants are preparing to meet with their patients, bringing a water bottle is crucial during this heat wave. If our caregivers are outside, it is especially important to ensure that the clients are drinking plenty of water as well. The CDC recommends when employees are working outside, to drink at least 8 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes. They recommend this because drinking small amounts periodically is more effective than large amounts occasionally. Avoid Sugary Drinks and Caffeine Sugary drinks and caffeinated drinks make you more dehydrated. On days when our nurses are outside for field trips, it is best to stick to water. Set reminders on your phone It is a habit of all employees to make sure that their phone is with them before they leave their house for the day. Since many of our nurses and caregivers always have phones on them, putting a reminder on your phone is a great way to help yourself remember to drink water. Some smart watches have a ‘drink water’ notification that you can enable every hour too. Signs of Dehydration It is very important for our caregivers to educate themselves on signs of dehydration, so they can be safe throughout their workday. The CDC reports signs of dehydration include extreme thirst, dizziness or light headedness, and dry mouth or throat. If one of our employees or clients’ experiences any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately for further assistance. The best thing our nurses and aides can do to prevent dehydration is being mindful of how much water you are drinking, in addition to how much water your client is drinking. By our field staff being observant, this can prevent any serious heat illness. In conclusion, if our dedicated caregivers and nurses educate themselves on the importance of hydration, it will allow them to practice habits to prevent it. By practicing these habits as a health care worker, you will be able to better educate your students and patients. If you have any further questions about staying hydrated, please reference the CDC website. Specific links are included below references.

Our nurses and caregivers can spend more time outside with their patients when the weather warms. Direct care staff need to be aware of the risks associated with being outside. Exposure to toxic plants, such as poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, is a common concern. All around the United States, particularly in gardens, forests, and even parks, you can find these plants. It is important to understand and recognize these plants for our clients' and caregivers' safety. This article will go over how to identify these plants and what to do to prevent exposure. According to the CDC, the old saying ‘Leaves of Three, Let it Be!” helps to identify only poison oak and poison. However, ivy and oak may also have more than 3 leaves depending on the environment or the season. Poison sumac often as between 7-13 leaves. Below, we will break down how our nurses and aides can easily identify these plants to protect each other and their patients.

The CritiCare team talked about bee sting protection measures in our earlier blog post. When the weather gets warmer, we need to be aware of more insects than only bees. This weather will also bring out ticks, as they are most common during the warmer months. According to the US Department of Agriculture, Ticks are most active in the months of April-September. This post will review prevention and treatment techniques our caregivers can practice as we approach the summer months. One of the biggest preventative measure nurses and direct care staff can take during this season, is being mindful of places ticks will be. According to The Center of Disease Control and Prevention , ticks live in grassy, bushy, and wooded areas. When accompanying a patient outside, caregivers should make every effort to stay away from these places. It is best to stay on the designated trail and never venture into the woods whether hiking or taking a walk. As we start assigning PCAs and Nurses on field trips to state parks, summer camps, and other outdoor settings, it is crucial to keep this in mind. After you come indoors, the CDC emphasizes the importance of following these tips: Check clothing for ticks: Our direct care staff members are encouraged to check their clothing and patients, to remove any signs of insects that could potentially be brought inside. Shower shortly after being outdoors: The CDC recommends taking a shower after you are at an outdoor activity and doing a body check for any signs of ticks. Our Caregivers are encouraged to educate their patients about this tip as well so they can do this when they go home. Places to check for ticks include: Under the arms In and round the ears Inside the belly button Back of the knees In and around your scalp Around the waist If an employee, patient or client is bitten by a tick, please call to discuss further treatment with their doctor. If a tick has landed on skin, it is important to remove it as soon as possible. The CDC reports that any tweezer is fine to remove a tick from skin. Step 1: Use tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. Step 2: Once you have the tick, pull upward. Do not twist the tick. Step 3: After removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands with soap or rubbing alcohol. Step 4: Never crush the tick with your hands, you can flush it down the toilet or dispose of it by putting it in rubbing alcohol.

It's official—Spring has arrived! Seasonal allergies frequently hit many people during this time of year. Springtime seasonal allergies are frequently brought on by pollen from weeds, grasses, and trees. Sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, and congestion are some of the symptoms. Springtime weather also attracts insects, such as bees, in addition to seasonal allergies. People who get bee stings may experience allergic reactions, some of which may be severe. To ensure the health and safety of both our caregivers and our patients at CritiCare, this post will go over ways to stay alert during this season. Stay Indoors During Peak Pollen Times : Checking the pollen levels in the areas CritiCare sends our nurses and personal care assistants will allow our caregivers to be prepared. It will also help you to determine whether to spend the day outside. Especially if you are caring for a patient or student that has severe allergies, it is best to stay inside during a peak. A resource to use that provides the pollen count in your area is https://weather.com/ . Keep Windows Closed: When our nurses and aides are working in a client’s home, keeping windows closed during high pollen seasons will help prevent pollen from entering the home. Also, if you are a nurse working on a bus run, keeping the bus windows closed can also make a difference. Wash Your Hands: Regular hand washing might lessen allergy symptoms by removing pollen that may have stayed in your skin. Our caregivers should always practice washing hands, especially when you come inside to your patient’s home or school from outside. This will help to reduce symptoms. Working as a healthcare worker, this is something that should already be a habit. Now that we have gone over seasonal allergy prevention for caregivers, we will review bee sting allergies. If our clients are allergic to bee stings, it is crucial that our nurses and aides keep these tips in mind to minimize the risk of severe reaction. Avoid Bee Sting Exposure : Try to avoid areas where bees are known to be active, especially during the warmer months. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Infection (CDC), it is recommended to wear light-colored clothing and avoid wearing perfumes or scented lotions that may attract bees. Remain Calm: If a bee begins flying around, it is best to maintain your composure. Swatting at the bee might encourage it to sting you. Carry Medication : Before our nurses begin their assignment, they are always provided with a care plan for the patient. By reviewing a patient’s care plan, you can educate yourself on any allergies they might have. Particularly, if the client has been diagnosed with a bee sting allergy. If this is the case, always carrying their prescribed emergency medication such as an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) with you is crucial. This emphasizes again the importance of our nurses’ reviewing patients care plans beforehand. While working in the field as a nurse or a personal care assistant, it is important to monitor for any signs of an allergic reaction if your client gets stung. Symptoms of this could include pain, redness or swelling around the sting. If this happens, seek medical attention immediately. In terms of caring for the bite, the CDC recommends cleaning it well with soap and water first. Next, it is important to remove the sting without using tweezers. Removing the stinger by scraping a fingernail over it or wiping it off with clean gauze is the safest way. Finally, after the stinger is removed it is best to apply a cold compress or ice pack. This will help reduce any swelling and ease the pain. Should this ever happen during an assignment working as a nurse or caregiver, make sure to document it and inform the Nursing Supervisor at CritiCare. Springtime brings warmer weather, but that doesn't mean we should lose awareness of our surroundings. CritiCare has provided this information for our caregivers to constantly be aware no matter what time of the year.

National Nutrition Month is an annual promotion every March started by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the United States. Like last month where we focused on Heart Health, this month is designated to hit on the importance of nutrition. Being a caregiver at CritiCare, you may be working with a patient who requires a special diet. Some clients may require this due to medical conditions or food allergies. It's crucial to always review the care plan before reporting to a case. Patients with certain medical problems may need to follow a more restrictive diet. Diabetes is an example of a medical condition where eating well can potentially prevent or delay health complications, according to The Center of Disease Control and Prevention. By following any medication/food schedules and keeping an eye on their blood sugar levels, you can help keep your client safe. Additionally, depending on the individual, he or she may have a certain calorie intake they must follow, or other specialized instructions. Being aware of your patients’ dietary restrictions will allow you to provide the best care for them throughout the day. Another possibility for patients is food allergies, so it's critical to regularly review the care plan to make sure you are aware of what foods to avoid. Since food allergies cannot be cured, it's important that you are ready for any allergic responses that may occur. In cases where food allergies are more severe, action plans for patients may be included in their care plans. A food allergy can cause symptoms such as hives, rash, difficulty breathing, or digestive problems, although each person's reaction is different.

Winter is officially here, bringing us snowstorms and freezing temperatures. During this season, it is crucial to dress warmly in layers, cover exposed skin, and stay dry to prevent cold related injuries. This blog post will go over each of these topics so our caregivers can better prepare themselves for these winter months. As we have stated before in our previous blog posts, it is always critical to keep an eye on the forecast. This will allow you to dress accordingly and bring any extra clothing with you to your patient’s house or school. Layering clothes and dressing appropriately for the winter are important tips from The Department of Labor and Industry . The three different kinds of layers to think about are shown below. An outer layer should be used to break the wind and allow for some ventilation. A middle layer to absorb sweat and retain insulation. An inner layer to allow for ventilation. This layer is the most commonly synthetic material. Additionally, it was revealed that "when the head is exposed, up to 40 percent of body heat can be lost," demonstrating how crucial it is to cover your head in the cold. It is a terrific idea to start wearing a winter hat when you are outside while commuting to your patients. To ensure that your clients remain warm when they are outside, you should also implement these measures for them. The Department of Labor and Industry stated some of the most common cold related injuries include hypothermia, frostbite, and chilblains. Any of these injuries are a medical emergency, and 911 should be dialed immediately. It is important to be aware of these risks in order to take the necessary precautions in cold weather. Hypothermia : This occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce, leading your body temperature to drop below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Symptoms to watch out for in your patients and yourself if you are outside in the cold for extended periods of time are drowsiness, rapid breathing, uncontrolled shivering, bluish skin, and confused behavior. Frostbite: This is the freezing of skin and underlying tissues, often affecting your fingers and toes. Symptoms to watch out for include numbness, hard or waxy looking skin, or prickly feeling on skin. Chilblains: This occurs from exposure to the cold but does not have to be freezing temperatures. Chilblains are painful, itchy swellings that can appear red or purple. In summary, the purpose of this article is to emphasize the importance of dressing warmly in cold weather. Layering provides insulation and proper clothing protects against wind reducing the risk of cold-related injuries like those listed above. CritiCare’s utmost concern is keeping our nurses and aides safe from the unexpected.

To assist preventing disease, it is crucial for caregivers at CritiCare to review basic preventive tips. You frequently have close contact with your patients or clients when working in the patient care industry. You can protect your own health as well as the health of your patients by putting the following strategies into practice. Hand Hygiene o According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick”. Regularly washing your hands throughout your workday can reduce the risk of spreading any germs and as a result preventing you from getting sick. o They report that there are several optimal moments to remember to wash your hands, including before and after eating, before and after tending to a sick person, before and after treating a cut or wound, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. When you are helping your patient or client in the restroom, that is another crucial moment. Make sure you wash your hands, and that the client does the same. o If you don't have access to soap and water, you can use hand sanitizer. It's a great idea to carry one with you when visiting patients, as it makes germ killing convenient. The CDC reports that if you are working with a patient 6 years old or younger, be sure to not leave your hand sanitizer out in the open to prevent an accidental poisoning. If this ever happens contact call Poison Control, 1-800-222-1222, if you think a child has been poisoned but they are awake and alert; the center can be reached 24/7. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); Gloves and M edical Mask s o One piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) that our caregivers use on a regular basis is gloves. Wearing gloves while working with patients stops the spread of any germs you may encounter. o Caregivers should always wear gloves when handling blood, bodily fluids, bodily tissues, or broken skin, advises MedlinePLus. Wearing PPE is recommended even if your client appears healthy. o Another piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) that can help you stay safe and protected is a medical mask. At CritiCare, masks are available upon request for all of our nurses, home health aides, and personal care assistants. o According to the CDC, masks are an essential public health tool for stopping the spread of illnesses in general and COVID-19 in particular. When providing medical care to a sick patient, they advise wearing face masks, particularly if you are immunocompromised in any way.