5 Tips for Families Dealing with Long Term Illness

Many times we talk with families who have been trying to care for a family member with long term illness.  However, over time the realize they need assistance and that’s when they consider a home health care nurse.  Our staff is highly trained to assist families physically and emotionally.  Our nurses provide compassion and comfort, when many families need it most.  Some of the tips many of them will give to people include the following:

1. Remember the illness does not define your family.
2. Everyone in the family needs to take time for themselves.  Whether it’s reading a good book, mediation or exercise maintaining hobbies will help everyone stay refreshed.
3. Seek support from families in similar situations.  They’ll help you find your inner-strength. When friends and family offer help, accept and give them tasks to lighten the load.

To learn more, visit our family resource page.

These days social media has become a prominent part of everyday life.  From your best friend posting a picture of running her first marathon to the joy of your sister-in-law announcing she’s engaged. People are sharing their funny stories, accomplishments, and even misfortunes through social media platforms every day. For nurses in particular, we love that social media fosters professional connections, is a source of support and a way to share feelings about the nursing profession. There are many benefits and reasons why nurses should use social media.  Here are our top three reasons:

1. Using Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and blogs can help build your credibility as a health professional, as well as spark discussions within the health care community.
2. Nurses can provide basic health tips to the general public, i.e., the latest study on nutrition and exercise. After all, people daily turn to the web to find answers to their health concerns or read up on new studies.
3. You can share the daily routine of a home health care nurse, revealing the satisfaction you receive in providing quality care to your patients.  This is valuable information for someone considering the nursing profession or a nurse looking at work in the home health care field.

Social media is a great tool, but some discretion must be taken when posting certain information. Keep these points in  mind when using social media to protect yourself and your patients!

• Leave your work at the office. Make sure when posting to your social media that you don’t accidentally divulge any information that may be private to your patients.

• Remain impartial on support pages and blogs.

The continuing growth of social media makes now the best time to get started. It can be used to your advantage, through career growth and helping others.

Reasons to Donate Blood in January

The American Red Cross annually kicks off each year with Blood Donor Month.  It’s an excellent way to begin every year, reminding all of us to continue giving back to those in need.  In fact, did you know one donation can benefit three recipients?  What a wonderful way to give back to your community!  You can also reap health benefits by donating.  Here’s our list of reasons why you should donate blood this month:

• More than 38,000 blood donations are needed each day & 1 car accident victim could require as many as 100 pints of blood.  The average donation is 1 pint, which means your gift is saving lives.
• Donating blood reduces the excess build up of iron in your blood, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.  By donating, you’re giving to someone else while also benefiting your own health.
• Blood donation is also used to aid cancer patients and those suffering with sickle cell disease.  Many of us don’t consider the thousands of patients who need routine blood transfusions due to illness.

To learn more on how you can donate blood during the month of January and all year long, visit the American Red Cross Blood Donation page.  You can also get more health tips on how donating blood reduces your personal health risk through Livestrong.

How to keep your resolution this year

We all make resolutions, knowing many times we won’t keep the majority of them.  However, each year we focus on the typical resolutions of losing weight, exercising and reducing stress.  But what if this year we all did something different, something that has positive potential for our careers and patients.  Sarah Eder gave several wonderful suggestions earlier this year about how to make a resolution and stick with it.  Her blog post on ONS Connect shared tips on how to make a resolution and keep it.  Simply choose one that will enhance your career and you’re more likely to keep it.

Some of her tips include setting measurable goals that you can easily obtain throughout the year.  Also consider seeing your resolutions as something positive rather than giving something up.  You can also make your resolution about a specific outcome rather than a task, giving yourself a better chance of achieving your goal.  What tips do you have for other nurses who are wanting to keep their New Year’s resolutions in 2012?  Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Holiday traditions from around the world

Does your family have unique holiday traditions that have been passed down from parents or grandparents?  Many of us have some traditions that revisit our childhood and when we’re deciding how to make the holidays fun for our children we look to those traditions to help us out.   To celebrate the season we thought we’d take a quick trip around the globe and check out several interesting traditions from other cultures.  Let us know if your family already enjoys some of them and how you make it exciting for your children.

• In Nova Scotia Canada carolers stroll the streets singing traditional Scottish songs.
• In Greenland they focus on eating lots of cake, singing carols and playing games.
• In France they celebrate the holidays with a feast of food, including the buche de nol cake.
• In South Africa families celebrate with a big meal outdoors with camping over the long holiday.
• In Japan they recognize the holidays as a time to visit the sick in the hospital and do a service for someone else.

Happy Holidays from all of us at PSA!!

We’re on LinkedIn and getting social

Calling all nurses who are interested in working for the largest pediatric home healthcare agency in the country.  We’re now on LinkedIn and ready to connect with you!  By connecting with us on LinkedIn you’ll be able to learn more about our services, how we support our nurses nationwide and what makes our staff so unique.  And if you’re looking to learn more about our company, we also maintain a Facebook page & Twitter profile.  Both of these are great for nurses and families to stay current with our staffing needs, as well as pediatric healthcare news.

For those you nurses looking to join a top home healthcare agency, we have a great way for you to view our immediate job needs, register with our agency and find which locations have positions available.  There’s also a nurses resource on our website that gives vital information on what we’re looking for, how to add to your pediatric skills and ways to assist you in your managing your personal life as a home healthcare nurse.  Visit us at PSA Healthcare to find out more!

National organizations offer family assistance during the holiday season

The holidays are a fun time for all families, however those that are dealing with long term illness, it can also be a tough time to get everything done.  Many families are faced with continuing treatments and surgeries during the holiday season, making it tough to find time for the siblings in the family.  There are several national organizations that assist families with providing outstanding research and care for children; making sure they can enjoy the holidays with their families.  Here’s a list of three that are working to find cures, raise funds and assist with meeting the needs of the entire family:

• Ronald McDonald House Charities of America
• St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital 
• Make a Wish Foundation

Do you know of other local and community organizations that are a making a difference in families lives?  Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Coordinating a discharge plan with your home healthcare nurse

Have you considered how important it is to have a discharge plan in place?  Or even discussing with your home healthcare nurse what steps need to be taken before bringing your loved one home from the hospital?  According to Family Caregiver Alliance there are several things you should have laid out and coordinated with your home healthcare nurse before bringing your child home from the hospital.  It can mean quicker recovery time and reassuring everyone you have the proper medications prescribed and available.  Some of their tips include:

• Have a list of diet and activities
• Discussing home medical equipment with physician and home care nurse; making sure you have everything needed before bringing your child home
• How will daily duties be handled and who is in charge of what areas, including transportation and chores
• A written plan and guide, preferably in multiple languages
• A list of community organizations that can assist with transportation, counseling or even meals

To learn more on how to have a complete discharge plan prepared, visit the Family Caregivers Alliance.

Benefits of utilizing a PSA Healthcare nurse

Having a family member with a long term illness brings about a lot of questions many families rarely face.  However, when the time comes to consider finding a nurse who you trust to care for your child or parent many people are unsure where to begin.  Home healthcare nursing is an intimate situation, due to the time that nurse spends in your home and one-on-one with your loved one.  Keeping this in mind we have worked to make sure we offer families the best home healthcare nurses in the industry.  We work to pair nurses with your family that will make your entire family comfortable and secure.

What are other benefits about working with us to find the ideal home healthcare nurse for your family?  We have more than 3,100 skilled nurses who are trained and specialized in pediatric care.  We make sure our nurses, as well as our families can get their questions answered by reliable, clinical customer support 24/7.  We also offer a multi-disciplinary team approach, giving families the best all around care in the industry.  We pride ourselves on being leaders in pediatric home healthcare and make sure our approach remains family centered.  To learn more please visit us our website or call us at 770-441-1580.

Understanding body language can help home healthcare nurses

Bridging the communication gap between a healthcare professional and their patient can be difficult, especially when dealing with children and long-term illnesses. Using verbal language is always a great way to relay information to patients and their families, but take it to the next level by being aware of your non-verbal communication. In fact, body language can make or break important conversations with patients and their families, even if it is not intentional. According to Jennifer Ward at Nurses Together, you can implement these 5 tips for positive body language:

1. Always make eye contact. This ensures the patient or colleague that you are giving them your full, honest attention.

2. Avoid finger pointing. It is an obvious signal that this person is your topic of your conversation. Pointing is also considered rude in our culture.

3. Avoid nonchalant stances. Sitting with your hands behind your head or hands on your hips are considered a sign of superiority and unprofessional. Only use these poses when in the presence of close friends.

4. Avoid eye rolling. Even if you are having a disagreement with a co-worker, do not roll your eyes. It is unprofessional, offensive, and is likely to escalate the argument.

5. Avoid invading the personal space of others. This can make your patients and/or colleagues uncomfortable. Keep in mind, the immediate 4 square feet around a person is considered adequate personal space.

For more tips on how to communicate non-verbally with body language, visit HCP Live.