What is "Companion Nursing?" and what are "Visiting Angels?"
Sep 23, 2022When Mom was in ICU with Covid, we knew she couldn't come home without assistance. Initially we thought she would be just fine to come home after nearly two weeks in the hospital, but that wasn't to be the case. She spent six additional weeks in a SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility) and then when it was time to bring her home, we realized we couldn't handle her care alone. We would need help.
There is a difference between the types of nurses that can help you.
Skilled nurses are those who administer medication, administer feeding tubes, catheters, colostomy bags, and provide other physical care, ventilators, wound care, and do all the heavy lifting of transferring the patient between bed and chair. They do infinitely more than those duties, but those are some of the main identifiers.
A Companion nurse offers a different service. Companion Care is more along the lines of a friend dropping in to help. It is not intended to be full-on extensive bodily/medical care, but rather, emotional support while implementing the plan laid out by the skilled nurses and therapists.
When a patient needs to be monitored and kept company, a companion nurse is the perfect person to have.
A companion nurse can see to it that meds are taken, they can help with meals, shopping and errands, doctor's visits, practicing therapies, and managing things around the home while the patient recovers. Depending on the company you choose to work with, other additional medical services can be offered to make your loved one's transition home seamless and efficient. I have amazing friends who provide a local resource for exceptional companion nursing care here in the Phoenix area: (https://totalcareconnections.com/home-care-services/). They are very well connected with only the best providers here in the Phoenix area and offer top-notch service.
In our situation with Mom, we had multiple therapists stop by for an hour every few days to teach her the exercises she needed to perform in order to get her mobility back.
A therapist is a professional trained in a specific field of recovery. Mom had a physical therapist, who exercises muscles to regain mobility; she had a speech therapist to regain communication ability or swallowing ability; and then she had an occupational therapist who teaches how to do household chores differently, due to injury.
Because my brother was available to implement the instructions from the various therapists, we found we did not need a companion nurse.
However, in a previous situation with my in-laws, we desperately needed a companion nurse for 24/7 care to keep my mother-in-law from re-injuring herself after surgery. Additionally, we used companion nurses to attend a high school graduation when I was responsible for three adults in wheel chairs and obviously couldn't manage them alone.
Our previous experience was primarily with Visiting Angels and we could not have been happier. The companion nurses knew what to do if there were a crisis, and they were delightful people to be around! They were upbeat and encouraging and funny and cheerful. We were so thankful for them to help pass the time with our loved ones. Visiting Angels has locations all over the US. (https://visitingangels.com ).
When seeking help for your loved ones, consider the differences between nursing staff: skilled nurses, companion nurses and therapists, and then decide which will best suit your needs. They all are so valuable when you are in a difficult situation caring for your loved ones. I am so grateful they served us when we needed them so much.
If you want more information, or are looking for other solutions to whatever issues you may be facing, reach out to us here at Aging Agendas and we will do our best to connect you to what might help you most.
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