Home Care Nursing: Services and Benefits for the Elderly

Visiting nurses provide essential home care services for elderly individuals, enhancing their health and well-being.

### Understanding Home Care: Insights from Visiting Nurses
* 🏥 Visiting nurses play a crucial role by providing **necessary nursing care and health management** directly in patients' homes, especially for the elderly.
* 👵 These services are often utilized under long-term care insurance, including **home visits, visiting nursing, and bathing**, tailored to the **health status of individuals**.
* 🩺 Upon arrival, nurses assess basic health metrics such as **blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and blood sugar levels**, adapting their care based on the patient's needs.
* 💪 Rehabilitation efforts focus on exercises to **prevent stiffness and maintain muscle strength**, particularly for those with conditions like **stroke or Parkinson's disease**.
* 💰 The cost of home nursing services typically ranges from **7,000 won per visit**, depending on the duration of care, making it a **more affordable option than hospital visits**.
* 📋 To access these services, individuals must first obtain a **long-term care grade** from the National Health Insurance Corporation, which determines the **level of assistance required**.
* 🏡 Overall, home visit nursing significantly **enhances the health status of elderly individuals**, and it's essential to consider these services for **better management of health conditions**.
* 💬 Jeong Hye-jin emphasizes the importance of **understanding and utilizing home visit nursing services** to improve **overall health and well-being**.

Hello, this is the dementia specialist YouTube channel, Smart Doctor, with Jeong Hye-jin. Today, we are going to have a guest. We will be discussing home care with a visiting nurse from our connected home care team. Could you please introduce yourself?

Hello, I am Park Mun, a nurse, and I am Jo Yeon-sook. Nice to meet you. Today, we are here with Hyun-sook to talk about home care. Could you introduce what a visiting nurse does?

Usually, when people think of nurses, they think of those who work in hospitals. However, visiting nurses go directly to patients' homes, providing necessary nursing care and health management. They visit homes directly and bring the necessary nursing supplies with them. Ah, I see. It's for the elderly.

Among the various services provided under long-term care insurance, we have home visits, visiting nursing, and visiting bathing. Among these, visiting nurses are currently providing services. Individuals with long-term care grades tend to utilize these services frequently; some may only use visiting bathing while others may also take advantage of visiting nursing. The type of individuals who utilize visiting nursing can vary significantly based on their health status. The content of visiting nursing and health management changes considerably according to the health conditions of the beneficiaries. Some may require nursing interventions, while others may need rehabilitation, depending on their health status and functional abilities. Generally, elderly individuals with long-term care grades often have dementia or have difficulty moving.

Among these individuals, there are those who require medical assistance that goes beyond everyday care, such as those with bedsores or various catheters due to health issues. Visiting nurses, like teachers, come to provide care for these individuals. I am curious about what the nurses do when they arrive. The activities vary depending on the health condition, as not every home is the same. 

To check the basic health management status, they assess blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and blood sugar levels. The care can be divided into two categories: rehabilitation and treatment. Rehabilitation involves exercises to prevent stiffness, helping to maintain or improve the current muscle strength. Treatment, on the other hand, addresses various needs among the patients, including managing catheters.

There are people who have urinary catheters and other medical devices that can be exchanged, disinfected, and managed at home. In the field of rehabilitation, if a person is generally healthy, it is okay, but for those who have experienced a stroke or have Parkinson's disease, joint stiffness can also be alleviated through exercise. That's right. The effects of exercise do not improve after just one or two sessions. Therefore, elderly individuals should engage in joint exercises consistently, without overexerting themselves, according to their health status. Additionally, we provide education to caregivers to help prevent joint stiffness or, in cases where stiffness has already occurred, to ensure it does not worsen. In fact, for elderly individuals, if they fall and suffer a hip fracture or if arthritis is severe, their mobility can be significantly affected.

If the time spent unable to move increases, muscle strength gradually declines, and those who used to walk well may struggle to do so. If the state of being bedridden lasts for a long time, it will require a significant amount of time for recovery, which can be challenging. However, if we assist quickly when the initial condition arises, recovery can be more resilient. Regarding treatments, there are various types of tubes, but when we visit elderly patients, we often find that those with nasal tubes or urinary catheters are generally in a severely bedridden state. When we take those patients to the hospital to replace even one tube, the entire family often has to mobilize, or we have to call a private ambulance to manage it. But if a doctor like Ho comes in and takes care of it, it seems incredibly simple. In reality, many patients around us appreciate this, so in such cases, the caregivers also...

I'm very satisfied. Also, pressure sore treatment can be done at home, and skin wound care can also be provided at home if necessary. Once you visit an elderly person's house, how much time does it usually take? It typically takes a short time, usually between 40 to 60 minutes. Sometimes it may exceed 60 minutes, and in those cases, the fee might vary slightly, but it's not a significant difference, usually just a few thousand won. The fee for the service can differ based on the duration, right? Yes, it can vary a bit. The long-term care insurance for the elderly has different rates for each service, and yes, that's correct. The cost varies based on the time spent. Let me explain briefly: usually, if you receive home nursing services for more than 30 minutes and less than 60 minutes, the cost for the caregiver is about 7,000 won per visit. The rest is...

If you receive the costs from the facility, when you visit four times, you would be able to receive home visiting nursing services once a week for a month, which amounts to about 28,000 won. This is much cheaper than a visit to the hospital. However, there is a home nursing fee for services lasting less than 30 minutes, but it rarely stays under that time. If you do a little bit of this and that, it usually goes over 30 minutes. I also have a case where I provide insulin administration, give diabetes medication, and check blood sugar levels, which are basic medication management services. In that case, it takes about 20 minutes for me to provide the service. If someone wants to try home visiting nursing and thinks that it might be necessary for our elderly, how can they apply for home visiting nursing? First of all, you need to receive a grade for long-term care.

To receive a grade, and based on that grade, the content of the service will determine the level of assistance. First of all, you need to have a grade; if you do not have one, you should first apply for a grade at the National Health Insurance Corporation's Long-Term Care for the Elderly department. Once you receive your grade, you can apply for home care or visiting nursing services. If you contact a nearby visiting nursing agency, they will take care of the process for you. However, when you receive your grade, it will indicate what level you are assigned, but in addition to that, there is a standard long-term care utilization plan. This plan specifies what services are appropriate for the individual, and even if visiting nursing is mentioned, you can still access those services. Therefore, if you wish to use nursing services and do not have a grade, you should include visiting nursing in your application from the beginning.

You need to express your intention to utilize the service, and since there are different levels of care, if there is no home visit nursing included in the standard long-term care plan, you should contact the organization to apply for it. This process is necessary. Today, we had a conversation with visiting nurse Jo Yeon-soo, and to summarize, the visiting nurse goes directly to the elderly person's home to provide basic health management, medication management, nutritional management, rehabilitation, and various treatments. Anyone with a long-term care grade for the elderly can utilize home nursing services. The cost that caregivers need to bear is about 7,000 won per visit. If you wish to use home nursing, please contact a nearby home nursing center. If you do not have a care grade, you will need to go through the process to obtain one. If you do have a grade, you can consult to find out which nurse can provide what level of service.

You can receive home visit nursing services if you agree on the frequency and duration of the visits. From the perspective of those providing the service, we often worry about the moments when you need to go to the hospital. We suggest that it would be beneficial to go, but we understand that there are many difficulties that can cause hesitation. However, since there are many limitations to the medical services provided at home, we sometimes need to emphasize the importance of taking you to the hospital. If you were not aware of home visit nursing services until now, I hope you start looking into them today. Utilizing these services can significantly improve your basic health status compared to before receiving home care. This has been Jeong Yeo-jin from the dementia specialist YouTube channel, Smart Doctor. Thank you.

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치매 똑똑

Visiting nurses provide essential nursing care and health management directly in patients' homes, catering especially to the elderly and individuals with long-term care needs.

Their services vary based on the health status of the beneficiaries, offering rehabilitation exercises and medical treatments as needed.

Common activities include assessing vital signs and managing medical interventions, such as catheters and wound care.

Managing Medical Devices and Rehabilitation for the Elderly

Home management of urinary catheters and medical devices is possible, benefiting those with joint stiffness from conditions like stroke or Parkinson's disease through consistent exercise.

Educating caregivers is crucial to prevent or alleviate joint stiffness and to support mobility after falls or fractures.

Quick assistance during the initial stages of bedridden patients can lead to a more resilient recovery, while the management of medical tube replacements often requires significant family mobilization or private ambulance services.

Home nursing services for the elderly, including pressure sore and skin wound treatment, typically take 40 to 60 minutes.

The fee for the service varies based on duration, with caregivers charging around 7,000 won for visits lasting 30 to 60 minutes.

Long-term care insurance offers different rates for each service, making home nursing a more affordable option than hospital visits.

Accessing Home Nursing Services for the Elderly

To receive home care or nursing services, you first need a long-term care grade from the National Health Insurance Corporation.

The grade determines the level of assistance and services you can access.

If you don't have a grade, it's important to include visiting nursing in your application from the beginning and express your intention to utilize the service.

The Importance of Home Visit Nursing Services

Home visit nursing services require agreement on visit frequency and duration.

Providers often worry about patients needing hospital care and emphasize its importance due to limitations in home medical services.

Utilizing these services can significantly improve a patient's basic health status.