Opting for continuous care in the home by patients living with a neurological condition, (acquired or hereditary including neurodegenerative conditions which often affect people in adulthood and evolve over the years), is to be recommended. Recovering from a stroke or other neurological conditions poses serious issues for both the patient and their families. How to provide the best quality of care; how to get their loved one on the path to complete recovery; how to handle and manage very demanding and stressful episodes for the entire family – these are all questions that need answering. Some of the conditions that are considered neurological  include:

• Stroke rehabilitation
• Parkinson’s
• Brain and spinal cord injury
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Motor Neurone disease
• Cancer of the brain or spine

After suffering from one such neurological illness, or surgery, the patient may be overcome by confusion, concern, resentment, and having to deal with a whole host of questions and constraints, regarding what they should do, or not do, next. The recovery period after a stroke or for the duration of a neurological condition is a long and arduous journey.  Appropriate and skilled clinical resources, backed up by experienced home care services will go a long way towards improving the patient’s  quality of life, while taking care of all their medical and clinical needs.

Care co-ordination at home

Any neurological rehab or treatment is a lengthy and complex process, at a time when the patient is struggling with mobility and cognitive challenges. Trained and experienced home nursing attendants and caregivers help patients keep track of appointments, accompany them to the hospital or the doctor’s office for regular check-ups. This eliminates anxiety and allows patients to focus on their recovery.

Help with daily life

Trained and experienced in-home nursing attendants and caregivers can help patients with bathing, grooming, dressing, using the toilet and other personal care tasks that the patient finds difficult to do on his or her own. At the same time, reliable, compassionate and well-trained caregivers are careful to preserve the dignity of their patients during this difficult time.

Providing much-needed companionship

Loneliness and the inability to move increases the depression that is often the after-math of suffering from a neurological condition. This makes it less likely that the patient will follow his or her treatment plan. Nursing attendants at home and other in-home caregivers prevent the patient from suffering a depressing sense of isolation while giving him or her  the confidence to follow the health care provider’s suggestions for physical activity and exercise. Caregivers and medical attendants make the patient feel more confident as he or she make the first forays out of the house.

A little bit of exercise can make a huge amount of difference

Pain, lack of mobility and psychologically debilitating after-effects that patients can suffer after a neurological injury, illness and disease can become over-whelming. Other than medical interventions, one of the key methods of getting such patients back into better physical shape while helping them regain their psychological equilibrium, is through physiotherapy. Treatment delivered at home by experienced physiotherapists, saves on time and money spent in going to a hospital or clinic. And makes their recovery faster.

The many benefits of in-home care

For the surgeon

• Faster recovery of patients due to better treatment compliance
• Less chance of secondary infections
• Improved patient satisfaction due to better clinical outcomes
• Reduced length of stay thus improving efficiency and throughput

For the patient

• Faster recovery due to the comfort of being at home
• Better compliance
• Significant cost saving as professional home health care is less expensive than hospital care
• Smoother transition from hospital - ensures faster rehabilitation into normal life

BY BY THIYAGARAJAN VELAYUTHAM, FOUNDER, IHHC | FEBRUARY 23RD, 2018