Introduction: Home healthcare is the fastest-growing sector of the health care industry. It has an expected growth rate of 66 percent over the next ten years and serves more than 7 million people each year. It is crucial to identify and address risks that could affect the safety and health of patients in this setting due to the growing need for in-home care. Methods: An informal sample of 1,561 home care aides, personal care workers, and attendants completed a risk assessment survey. These items addressed health hazards and personal characteristics of patients, home, and patient. All activities required prior Institutional Review Board approval. Preliminary results: Ninety-five percent of home health care workers (HHCWs), were women with an average of 8 years of experience. The majority of clients were older, with less than 1% of cases involving children and adults (26%) HHCWs described the following conditions at clients' homes: cockroaches (33%), cigarette smoke (30%), vermin (23%), irritating chemicals (17%), and peeling paint (15%). Also described were clutter (17%), temperature extremes (9%), and unsanitary (12%) conditions in the home. Two percent of respondents said that guns were present in their homes. 12 percent of HHCWs also reported abuse of clients. Conclusion: Home care clients and HHCWs are both at risk from a range of health hazards. It is crucial to document the risk in order to prevent and manage the increasing number of both HHCWs as well as recipients. Introduction Home care is not a safe environment for patients. This is because of a variety of factors. First, there are potential hazards in residential settings (e.g. lead paint, toxic substances, poor indoor air quality) that can have a negative impact on patient safety. Fourth, home care providers might not have the required training or expertise to provide patient safety care. It can be challenging to control hazards in-home care. We continue to add to our knowledge about patient safety in acute care, but our understanding of the safety and health hazards of home care is limited. This is despite the fact that these hazards can have significant implications for the well-being and health of home care patients. Unsafe households can have a negative impact on not only the patient but also their home health care providers and caregivers. These concerns can be addressed by obtaining risk assessment data to create evidence-based strategies to lower risk. Strategies may need to be tailored to the unique health care environment. As a step in closing the research gap in-home care, a large cross-sectional survey of New York City-based home health aides and personal assistants was conducted to assess home healthcare-associated potential health and safety hazards. The sector of Home Health Care Although the first agencies was established in the late 19th century, the most significant growth was after 1965's enactment of Medicare. The 1987 Medicare revisions led to more facilitated reimbursement for home care agencies.22 In 2005, there were over 20 000 agencies providing home care services to 8 million people. This likely represents only a fraction of the true number of home care patients since many receive informal care through non-Medicare-certified agencies or individuals.22 There are three main types of home-care agencies: (1) certified home agencies (CHHAs), (2LTHHCs), and (3) licensed home services agencies (LHCSAs). CHHAs can provide short-term skilled nursing care for both Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. They also have the ability to provide homemaker and housekeeper services, as well as nursing, home health aid, personal care, and nursing. The LTHHCPs are also known as "nursing homes without walls" and provide services that allow individuals who are eligible to stay at home. They are subject to a Federal waiver for community-based and home-based services. They must provide all services offered by a CHHA as well as case management. Finally, LHCSAs provide at least one of the following services, either directly or through contracts with another program: nursing care, home health aides, personal care, private duty nursing, homemakers, and physical/occupational and speech therapies. Home hospice care is a growing and important type of homecare. Although the actual number of hospices certified by Medicare has increased from 31 to 2,444.22, the number of licensed hospices is almost the same as that of the formal network. There are over 110,000 registered nurses who provide skilled nursing care or supervision in homes. A large workforce of home health aides, personal care workers, and home attendants provide basic medical services to patients that enable them to recover outside the traditional hospital and hospice settings. They can check the vital signs of patients, provide physical therapy, assist with medical equipment use, and change dressings. They may also provide services that are not possible for patients or their families, such as assistance with ambulation and bathing, and even grooming. You may also need to do light housekeeping.
Home care attendants and personal care workers, also known as "personal assistants", provide more personal care to patients at home. They are responsible for daily activities such as bathing, dressing, feeding, cleaning, and transportation. These responsibilities do not usually include providing nursing or medical care. However, this is sometimes the case. Personal care workers and home attendants can also offer advice on nutrition and hygiene for patients and their families. For employment as a personal assistant or home health aide, a high school diploma is not required. Home health aides who work for Federal agencies must pass a competency exam. The National Association for Home Care and Hospice also offers a national certification for home care aides. This certifies home health care workers (HHCWs), based on 17 specific skills. Personal assistants and home care aides may have different certification requirements. Important to remember that HHCWs are more likely to be injured than other types of health care. The most important factor that affects home care is the aging post-1942 ("baby-boomers") cohort. In 2012, the first cohort will be 65 years old. By 2032, it will have reached 85 years.33 This will lead to a dramatic rise in the number of Americans older than 65. In 1960, 16.2 Million Americans were 65 years old or older. By 2000, this number was 35 million. It is expected that it will rise to 72 million by 2030.33 The extremely old will see even more growth. The extremely elderly population is expected to experience a greater growth rate than the 1 million Americans who were 85 or older in 1960. This was due to both dramatic demographic changes and a decline in U.S. deaths rates. The combined effect will put pressure on services for the elderly, including home care services. The home care workforce is huge, at 1.3 million, but the projected demand is high. This is particularly problematic, given the changing demographics of the workforce, which, like the nursing profession, is experiencing an increasing shortage for many reasons. There are also other shifts that can be performed in-home care. You can also see that while about half of home-care patients are aged 64 and younger, nearly two-thirds of those 65 years or older are female.22 This is due to the increasing number of minority populations.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK43619/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1084822319895332
Leave Comment Below
0 Comment(s)