The Home and Community Health Caregiver

By DAPHNE BOIGNE

The Home and Community Health Caregiver

 

Nursing is the art of caring for any human being who is ill, helping to prevent disease and promoting health. This care includes both the mental and the physical welfare of the patient and is carried out under the supervision of a doctor. It demands strict discipline and obedience to all his instructions.

 

The home and community health caregiver should be taught that nursing has preventive, promotive, curative, as well as rehabilitative aspects. This is consistent involving in health education, inter-family primary health care and good neighborhood assistants. It is the purpose of this course to train those who wish to learn the basic principles of this art so that they may be of invaluable assistance to the sick whether at home, old-age home or any fragile health care institute. The home and community health caregiver is given the important duty of caring for the patient with regards to observation of the patient, taking and charting TPR, administration of prescribed medicine, bed-making, bed-bath, care of the mouth, pressure sores and other important basic nursing techniques. The procedures are vital to the comfort of the ill patient, as his bed is often his home for long periods.

 

The importance and value of these comforts and the role of the home and community health caregiver in this respect cannot be over-emphasized.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DAPHNE BOIGNE
• Release date: Apr 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393447771

DAPHNE BOIGNE

Daphne Boigne is the founder and owner of a forward-thinking and dynamic health training institute called D'Expert Health Care Institute. She is keen to leave a productive legacy of helping people at all stages of their lives, improving their physical, psycological and social wellbeing. She is passionate about actively helping patients and communities and to lead a productive life.

Book preview

Module 1

The Home and Community

Health Caregiver

Introduction 

Nursing is the art of caring for any human being who is ill, helping to prevent disease and promoting health. This care includes both the mental and the physical welfare of the patient and is carried out under the supervision of a doctor. It demands strict discipline and obedience to all his instructions.

The health caregiver should be taught that nursing has preventive, promotive, curative, as well as rehabilitative aspects.

This is consistent involving in health education, inter-family primary health care and good neighborhood assistants.

It is the purpose of this course to train those who wish to learn the basic principles of this art so that they may be of invaluable assistance to the sick whether at home, old-age home or any fragile health care institute.

The health caregiver is given the important duty of caring for the patient with regards to observation of the patient, taking and charting TPR, administration of prescribed medicine, bed-making, bed-bath, care of the mouth, pressure sores and other important basic nursing techniques. The procedures are vital to the comfort of the ill patient, as his bed is often his home for long periods. The importance and value of these comforts and the role of the health caregiver in this respect cannot be over-emphasized.

It is the health caregiver who has the closest contact with the patient, and it is often the health caregiver’s touch – whether verbal or physical – that encourages the desire for recovery or determines the rate of recovery in the ill patient.

Remember, if there is a state of emergency or if a disaster occurs, it is you – the health caregiver – on whom the country will rely for assistants in caring for many of its citizens.

Qualities of a Good Health Caregiver 

• Reliability 

• Self-control

• Complete honesty

• Power of observation

• Gentleness and willingness to do any duty

• Patients and understanding

• Loyalty to:  The Doctor

Nurses and Fellow Health Care Givers

The Patient and their Family

• Discretion – Never gossip

• Dignity – Neat appearance and quiet manner.

Duties of The Health Caregiver

The health caregiver has a threefold duty:

To the Patient

To the Doctor

To herself 

Duty to the patient

• Be firm but tactful in all your dealings with the patient, the relatives and friends.

• Smile and be cheerful but quiet in speech and movements, and in so doing you will give the patient confidence.

• Never be boisterous.

• The health caregiver’s touch must be firm and gentle and her actions quick and decisive. Fumbling and hesitation may cause pain or destroy confidence.

• Loyalty always: Never discuss the nature of the patient’s illness, the treatment or progress with anyone.

• Confidences imparted to the Caregiver may never be disclosed.

• Favoritism is not allowed.

• Religion of the patient must be respected.

Duties to the doctor

• Absolute obedience and honesty always.

• The doctor’s instructions must be well understood – a mistake could be disastrous.

• Report accurately all treatment given and changes in the patient’s condition. This must not be done in the patient’s hearing.

Duties to herself/himself

• Cleanliness of person always – hair, hands, nails, teeth and breath. (Nails to be kept short)

• Clothing must be suitable: uniform, comfortable shoes and stockings to be worn always and to be changed daily.

• Avoid excessive make-up, watches, jeweler and nail polish. Only the wedding ring is permitted.

• There must be adequate rest and recreation – away from the sickroom.

• Diet must be well balanced, and meals must be taken away from the sickroom.

• Ensure that hands are always washed after handling a patient, particularly after attending to bedpans, urinals, soiled linen and dressings.

The Role of The Health Caregiver

• In a state widespread emergency, a Health Caregiver may be called to assist in the wards of a hospital. 

• She/he must conform strictly and loyally to the discipline and rules of the ward to which she/he is posted.

• She/he cannot expect to be given the work of a fully trained nurse and will probable entrusted with simple routine tasks to relieve the trained nurse for more responsible work.

• She/he should grasp every opportunity of increasing her/his knowledge and skill of developing her/his power of observation.

• As she/he shows ability