Ventilator Care at Home
Ventilators at home were an anomaly until a couple of years ago. It was thought of as risky and people believed that it was not a medically safe decision to providenursing care to a patient on a ventilator at home. However, times have changed. Numerous medical and healthcare services are now available in the comfort of one’s home and nursing care for mechanical ventilation is one of them. It is completely safe to keep a patient on a ventilator at home if you are under the guidance of the right healthcare service providers. With a little training and practice, or assistance from professional nurses and healthcare staff, it is possible for home care for ventilator patients to be surrounded by family and loved ones while receiving nursing care for mechanical ventilation.
What Is Ventilator Care?
The way we humans breathe can be understood in two parts: a) ventilation and b) respiration. Respiration refers to the moving of air in and out of your lungs while ventilation is the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This exchange of gases also takes place in the lungs. Through certain medications and devices, it is possible to make this exchange easier and more effective for when the patient is struggling with the same.
A ventilator is a machine that is attached to a trach tube in the patient’s throat and it helps with moving air through the patient’s lungs. The ventilator blows extra oxygen into the patient’s lungs. Some patients might need home care for ventilators constantly, while others might need it for shorter durations. The ventilator has many settings and alarms, and the doctor will advise a different setting for each person based on the patient’s needs.
Home care for ventilators is useful because it makes breathing easier by helping the diaphragm, abdominal and rib muscles move so that air can easily move in and out of the lungs. The support that these muscles receive through the ventilator also makes it easy for the patient to cough and to remove the mucus out of the lungs and throat. If a patient has a spinal cord injury then a ventilator might be needed for the neck area.
Who Needs home care for Ventilator?
Any patient who needs help in moving air in and out of the lungs and is struggling to do so effectively needs ventilator care. Patients who have chronic respiratory diseases, people who need ICU facilities and critical care treatment while recovering from a critical phase of an illness, people who are at the end of their and would prefer being at home and around loved ones while receiving ICU care, can all make use of ventilator nursing care at home. Over and above this, patients with neurological issues, spinal or brain injuries and/or multiple trauma, patients who have undergone transplants, cancer patients, patients with end-stage respiratory disorders or patients for whom long stays in ICU are risky because of nosocomial infections can all benefit from ventilator care at home.
Home care for Ventilator is useful for:
- People with a C1 or C2 injury in the spinal cord since the spinal cord is not capable of sending any messages to the diaphragm, rib or abdominal muscles in such a severe injury
- People with C3 injuries
- People with C4 – C8 injuries are also at high risk of breathing problems and they may also need the ventilator
What Are the Benefits Of Nursing Ventilator Care?
The benefits of a patient receiving nursing ventilator care at home are numerous. Nursing care of a patient on a ventilator at home ensures that the patient feels more safe, comfortable and at ease compared to a hospital or healthcare facility. Receiving nursing ventilator care at home ensures that the patient is surrounded by loved ones and family, instead of in a stressful and tense environment of a hospital among other patients. At home, the patient experiences peace of mind and there’s a high chance that the patient might recover faster at home. Nursing ventilator care at home also reduces the risk of the patient acquiring infections from the hospital. Home ventilator care is much safer since the chances of catching an infection from caregivers or family members are comparatively low.
The benefits can be further categorized into medical and personal benefits.
Medical Benefits:
- Access to service of qualified, experienced and internationally trained medical professionals right in the comfort of your home
- Smooth flow of information between the team of doctors, care staff and the family members
- Use of the latest technology and devices that ensures wellbeing and care of the patient in their own home
- Strict adherence to standard protocols of critical care to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the patient
- Continuous monitoring of the patient’s vitals and regular administration of medication at home itself.
- Faster recovery of patients due to patient satisfaction and better compliance by medical professionals
- Reduced chances of secondary infections
Personal Benefits:
- A comfortable home environment with less noise and less night time light can improve sleep patterns and overall well-being.
- Limited or no restriction on visiting hours by friends, family and relatives
- Easy and convenient access to personal space and belongings such as books, computers, etc.
- More cost effective and affordable as compared to the hospital ICU
- Better management of patient’s needs and personalized care and attention
- Reduced length of stay at the hospital and away from home
- Faster rehabilitation into normal life because of smoother transition from hospital to home
The critical care team at home can take care of all the following tasks and the patient’s family can remain stress free with the assurance that the patient is well taken care of.
- Nursing care for ventilated patients with Tracheostomy
- Nursing ventilator care for patients who are on CPAP or BiPAP and/or High Flow Oxygen Therapy
- Total parenteral nutrition
- Internal feeding
- Infusion therapy
- Bowel and bladder management
- Maintaining skin integrity
Ventilator Homecare Nursing in Dubai | First Response Healthcare
If you need help breathing while you are asleep or if a family member needs a ventilator 24 hours a day, the service of ventilator support at home is meant for you. Often even children need ventilator care, and in such a scenario, ventilator support at home for your child is the most convenient option. It allows them to be at their own home where they feel safest and most comfortable, and it also reduces the stress and burden of parents.
First Response Healthcare (FRH) is a JCI accredited home healthcare company in Dubai that offers a range of professional and reliable medical services right at your doorstep. Among these services is also the service of nursing ventilator support at home. FRH promotes healing and individualized intensive homecare nursing. We provide services of highly skilled ICU nurses who personally take care of any of your family members on life support that is intensive care at home. The nurses are highly trained, qualified and have licenses to provide ventilator support at home for patients. The nurses are compassionate about the needs and requirements of the patient and their family and ensure that they prioritize what is best for the patient. They offer their services 24*7 intensive care at home, even on weekends and holidays. FRH’s goal is to ensure that accessing and using home healthcare and nursing services should be a smooth and convenient process for all and they customize their services accordingly to fit your needs. The nursing team always abides by the standard protocols and they make sure that they treat the patient with dignity and respect.
Our services include the following:
- 24-hour high quality Nursing Care
- Respiratory therapist
- 0nce a month doctor visit
- Doctor consultation as necessary
- Physiotherapy services as necessary
- Laboratory blood works at home
- Nutritionist service at home and intensive care at home
Benefits of Hiring First Response Healthcare for Ventilator Care At Home
Professional & Quality Care
Once you choose FRH, you can rest assured that you will receive quality, professional care. We care for our patients the way we would care for our own family members. Our team of nurses are very professional and reliable and is experienced in offering ventilator intensive care at home that meets the needs and expectations of the patient and the family. Over and above this, we also customize our services based on your requirements.
24/7 Monitoring & Care
Our nursing staff is available 24*7, even on weekends and public holidays. We can ensure that the patient is monitored throughout the day and night. Our personalised care plans take into account the details of the health conditions of the patients and offer ventilator intensive care at home accordingly.
Family Education
We also work with the family to guide them and educate them about how they can help the patient. We offer ongoing family education along with post-discharge assistance to the patient. Our goal is to reduce the risk of future complications and our efforts are meant to achieve the same.
To avail services of ventilator care at home in Dubai, you can call on 0505050387 or 800DIALDOC. Or you can book an appointment online by visiting First Response Healthcare website in Dubai.
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