Are Home Health Care Workers Always RNs?

Your mom had a stroke. Her medical team recommends she goes to a live-in rehabilitation community for now. The only other option is to arrange home health care services to aid in her recovery at home.

When you think of home health care, you think of nurses coming into your mom’s home. That nurse can set up IV lines, change surgical bandages, and help with injectable medications. The nurse can monitor vital signs like blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturation.

While an RN is one of the specialists who provide home health care services, there are others. Here are some of the specialists who offer home health care services.

Licensed Therapists

Home Health Care Salisbury, NC: Home Health Care Workers

A home health care agency can work with your family to make sure your mom has speech, respiratory, physical, and occupational therapists visiting her home for therapeutic services. After a stroke, her body may not work as it once did. She’ll need help learning to speak again.

It can be harder to breathe deeply or move one or the other side of the body, which is where respiratory and physical therapy come in. Occupational therapy helps her learn how to use a fork, knife, and spoon again, button a shirt and pants, and tie shoes.

Nutritionists and Dietitians

If your mom has to change her diet, she may require the services of a dietitian or nutritionist. After a stroke, she’ll be on blood thinners most likely. She has to be careful that she doesn’t eat foods that counteract the medications. She may need to adjust to a low-fat, no-sugar diet.

That can be hard to manage without some guidance. Having an expert in the home teach her how to shop for healthier foods, create a weekly menu, and cook meals that meet her nutritional needs is one way to ensure she knows what she needs to do.

When you call a home health care agency, ask to speak to a specialist. One of the questions you should ask is how they select the professional who comes to your mom’s home to provide health care services. It might be an RN handling injections, IV lines, and taking vital signs, but a licensed therapist is the specialist providing OT and PT services.

It’s important to have your list of questions available when you make the call. If you’re not certain you understand after talking to an expert in home health care services, ask additional questions for clarification. It’s always better to be fully aware of the available services and costs, even if it means spending more time asking questions.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home health care in Salisbury, NC, contact the caring professionals at TenderHearted Home Care today. Call us at (704) 612-4132