Nurse Home Visits | 5 Practical Benefits

Having a nurse visit you at home has many practical benefits.  There may be times when you consider a private nurse home visit for health checks, medication management, or even to take care of you in your own home.  You may also receive the benefit of a home health nurse following a recent hospitalization, discharge from a rehabilitation facility or after surgery.

Some of these visits are covered by insurance and others are considered private pay.  These visits help someone age in place in a healthy and safe manner, they offer peace of mind, and the visits assist the patient on their road to recovery.  A clinical assessment in a home environment allows for a better perspective leading to a plan of care that works.  

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5 practical benefits of scheduling nurse home visits: 

Health and Wellness 

Improved health and wellness can be achieved by speaking with a healthcare provider at an outpatient clinic, but having a nurse come to your home to evaluate your health and wellness can offer an upper edge. This type of visit allows for a private, uninterrupted conversation in the comfort of your own home.

When health and wellness strategies are discussed, it’s convenient to have immediate access to the food in your refrigerator, vitamins you may take, and the assistive devices you might use.  Nurse home visits can offer you and your family peace of mind that everything is going well, or it can address concerns by making sound, clinical recommendations.  You don’t always need a physician for this.

Medication Management

Compliance with medication and taking medication exactly as prescribed is necessary to receive optimal benefits.  Nurse home visits include a medication review to confirm that the medication taken does not overlap or have potential serious side effects.  The nurse will ask the patient about the times that they take medication, review their diet which could affect how medication works, and make sure it is being stored properly.

The nurse will confirm that the patient is able to safely pour the correct amount of medication, at the right times, and that they are able to contact the pharmacist and physician when refills are needed.  If necessary, the nurse may recommend that the patient use a pill box or another device to improve medication compliance and accuracy.  The nurse may also suggest that they prepare the medication box for the patient.  

Chronic Disease Management

So many times, I visit patients at their home and find their blood pressure is low, yet they have a diagnosis of high blood pressure. Once we discuss this chronic disease further, we discover that the patient gets very nervous at the healthcare provider’s office – known as white coat syndrome. This results in high blood pressure, and this is the reading that the healthcare provider is basing their diagnosis on.

If you hire a nurse for home visits, you may be more relaxed and discover that your blood pressure is actually normal.  The nurse will recommend that you take your blood pressure at home with an automatic monitor so you can share your true blood pressure readings with the healthcare provider.  The nurse also has the ability to check your blood pressure with your monitor, and with theirs, to confirm accuracy.

Recovery From Surgery

Often, you are scheduled to see your surgeon for a follow up visit several weeks after surgery.  If a nurse visits your home immediately after surgery, they will review your discharge instructions, complete a head-to-toe assessment, look at your home, and review your medication list.  Having a healthcare professional review all of this information assures that you are on the right track to recovery.

The nurse may make recommendations to alter your intake of food or fluids to optimize the healing process.  They may also consult with your healthcare provider if they have any questions or feel that you may not be healing at the expected rate.  The nurse is a perfect liaison between the patient and the provider.  This reduces your stress levels and allows you to understand the medical status in a way that’s easy to comprehend.

Aging in Place

Not everyone plans to move to a retirement community during the aging process.  If you want to age in place, it’s best to consult with a nurse who is an expert in older adult care.  There are so many facets to aging at home, including the home environment, a health and wellness plan, the medication regimen, level of functioning, social and spiritual needs, as well as legal affairs.

Home nurse visits will address every aspect of aging in place.  The nurse will complete a comprehensive, clinical assessment, and then develop a plan of care, so you have a guide to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and staying connected to what matters most to you.  An expert will also make sure your home is safe – free of falls risks, and fire hazards.

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Your situation may not always require going to your doctor’s office for an evaluation.  There are many times when nurse home visits are a better choice.  These visits help improve health and wellness and reduce readmission to the hospital.   It offers patients a different clinical expert view with a goal to achieve better outcomes.  There is no better way to identify someone’s lifestyle than by actually seeing how they live.  Wellness Strategies Group offers home visits for patients.  Learn more here:  Healthcare Consultant & Geriatric Care Manager In Maryland – Wellness Strategies Group.