A skilled nursing agency is a company that sends in skilled healthcare professionals to manage a patient’s illnesses or injuries at home. They may be sent into homes for a temporary need or for something long-term. This in-home care can be used for around-the-clock care or can be leveraged for a few hours a day. Some patients who need help from a skilled nursing agency may be experiencing the effects of a stroke, neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, or who are bedridden due to paralysis or disease. Skilled nursing agencies provide all the physical care they need from the comfort of home.
There is a trend in creating care plans to incorporate more connections with patients and the community. You know how much I love books, and there is a great benefit to using books to improve the quality of life for the people who are recovering from illness or injury or need connections with people in their homes. Here’s what you need to know about skilled nursing agencies and all the ways that books can help people at home.
Medication Administration
Many medications must be given at exact times and with food or without food to be effective. You can’t give some in certain combinations either. Skilled nursing agencies send staff to provide medication administration for all their patients. Whether someone needs help with pain management, needs to manage diabetes, or has medications to protect them from seizures, getting skilled nurses to administer these is critical.
Personal Care
Patients who are bedridden or need lifting or transferring can be especially hard to care for at home. A skilled nursing agency ensures they get the personal care they need including being turned in bed regularly, taken for baths or showers, their hair brushed if they can’t do it themselves, and more. This personal care is important for their overall health and well-being.
Physical Therapy
Skilled nursing agencies ensure that patients who need physical therapy will get it without needing to go to appointments multiple times a week. This can be especially important for people who are recovering from injuries, have chronic pain, or have other conditions that require help with walking and doing basic activities. A good physical therapist can even help amputees learn to use prosthetics and get around their homes more easily. This can lead to greater independence.
Respiratory Therapy
Some people experience lung conditions that require regular breathing treatments and other respiratory therapy. These patients will get everything they need including oxygen support from respiratory therapists. They make sure patients with COPD have high enough oxygen saturation, that their nasal cannulas aren’t causing irritation, and more. With good respiratory therapy, they are able to breathe better throughout the day and get the oxygen they need.
How Books Can Improve Life in a Skilled Nursing Facility
Living with chronic illness or recovering from injury means that you have little freedom to leave on your own. It means that the people who love you need to come to you. While some families can visit regularly, it can still be lonely in between. Books are a fantastic way to help patients enjoy their time in between activities and visits. It’s more stimulating than watching T.V. and can help them in so many ways. Reading helps them get their minds off of their health problems and can give them something to focus on throughout the day.
There are programs out there where kids can practice their reading by reading to the elderly in nursing homes. You can leverage this same concept by letting nieces, nephews, and grandkids come read to you while you recover from injuries at home. Here are some of the ways that books help people recover better:
- Reading books improves mental acuity.
- Reading books helps learn something new.
- Being read to gives connection with other people.
- Reading brings laughter.
- Reading inspiring stories can lift people up.
- Reading reduces boredom.
- Reading improves mental health.
When someone is dealing with health issues, having someone come and read to them, whether it’s a grandchild, friend, or health aide can give them a bit of human connection to help them fight any loneliness, fear, or depression they may be experiencing while they are home alone. Reading is the perfect addition to any skilled nursing agency care plan.
p.s. Related posts:
Happy Birthday to My Mom: 90 Years Young!
My 95-Year-Old Mom’s Secret to a long and happy life
Health, Wealth & Happiness Goals Update
Healthy Living for Our Elders #AgingWell
Sumo Joe at the Japanese American National Museum
To examine any book more closely at Indiebound or Amazon, please click on image of book.
As an Amazon and IndieBound Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
