Does My Family Member Need 24 hour RN Care?

Frequently when a family member is thinking about moving out of a nursing home and into an Assisted Living home, their family is worried about the quality of care that their loved one will receive. In a nursing home there is always at least one RN in the building and this is a comfort to many families. In an Assisted Living setting, a Registered Nurse is not typically on site seven days a week around the clock. However, in the Assisted Living model the Home Health Aide or Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is available on site, seven days a week around the clock. At Adagio Manor Assisted Living, a residential style assisted living, there are trained Home Health Aides on site at all times 24/7. The nurse has trained them to administer medications, provide assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, and transferring. They can be trained to do simple wound care, care for drains, catheters, and ostomies. Home Health Aides can be trained to assist with blood sugar checks, and reminders for insulin administration. They are also able to perform blood pressure checks, temperature and respirations. Home Health Aides are trained to check Oxygen saturations and to perform Tube feedings. But most importantly, the Home Health Aide is trained to know when it is time to call the nurse and report abnormal findings. When the Home Health Aide calls the Nurse, the nurse will then decide next steps and what actions need to be taken. The Assisted Living Registered Nurse is able to train Home Health Aides to perform a wide variety of cares and treatments, but be assured that the nurse is available to be on site as needed to assess your loved one.