How to prepare for an in-home nurse, determine what type of nurse your parent needs and organize your home space accordingly. 

Many times, in-home nurses and at home caregivers are hired to care for patients, or move into patient homes, and the homes are not prepared for the nurse! Boxes and other obstructions prevent nurses from having space to stay. Rooms are over-filled with storage materials. Sometimes, there simply are not the appropriate accommodations. 

If you’re preparing your home or your elderly parent’s home for an in-home nurse, there are a few major points to think through. This way you can be organized and ready for an in-home caregiver as soon as they start. 

In this article, we’ll cover a few considerations for preparing your home for an in-home nurse. Then, you’ll save time and money. The house will be prepared right from the first day of your at-home nursing services. 

First, you’ll need to determine if you need an overnight nurse or hourly nursing care.

If you’re considering hourly home care 

It’s important to consider how often and what length of time you’ll have a nurse on property.

If you only intend to have nurses for a few hours at a time, you’ll need less space dedicated to the nurse. If, however, you anticipate having a nurse stay for multiple days in a row, or on a long-term, live-in basis, you may need more dedicated space. 

Hourly nurses do not require any special space allocated or room accommodations. They may need some space to place their personal items upon arrival. But, given that they will not be long term residents in the home, their need for space is limited. 

Hourly nurses are helpful for patients who need support: 

• Administering medication
• Bathing
• Dressing
• Grocery shopping
• Simple meal preparations 
• Companionship

24 Hour in-home care services 

Overnight nurses can be both temporary or long term. 

Overnight nurses are an important option for patients who need support for all of the above listed needs, but need it more frequently or consistently. Some important added benefits of 24 nursing services are:

• Someone awake to provide care throughout the night
• Keeping up with medication and care services during the evening hours
• Avoiding kitchen or bathing accidents
• Companionship for socialization 

Overnight nursing needs

With overnight nursing, both long term and temporary, it’s important to organize and allocate space specifically for the nurse. They’ll need a comfortable place to sit or sleep. This can either be bedside to watch over your sick parent. Or, they can have a space allocated to the caregivers needs.

Temporary overnight nurses

Some patients only need overnight care for a limited amount of time. Patients returning from the hospital, who need supervision as they reacclimate to their home setting, or those with acute medical needs are good candidates for temporary overnight nurses. 

Similarly, patients in a temporary recovery scenario are also good candidates for temporary overnight nurses. Those patients who need to practice some forms of physical therapy or occupational therapy for a specific amount of time can benefit greatly from temporary overnight nursing services. 

Temporary overnight nurses and caregivers can be helpful for times when a family member or a regular caregiver is temporarily away, like for a vacation or work trip.

Long term nursing needs

Long term nursing (for extended periods of time) are important for patients who cannot take care of themselves. Patients experiencing long term health problems that prohibit day-to-day self-care may need permanent home nurses. They can also be helpful when a family caregiver can no longer offer caregiving services to their parent. 

How to prepare the home for a live-in or long term in-home nurse

Long term, in-home nurses need certain accommodations to stay overnight. If the nurse is on a rotation to be awake during the night time hours while the patient’s day time care giver rests, they most likely only need a comfortable place to sit. A place near the patient or nearby to the patients room is usually the best option.

If the over night nurse is meant to be awake during the patients waking hours, they’ll likely need an individual room fitted with furniture, bedding, and space for their personal effects. 

24 hour nurses may also be afforded a small room. Consider their need for privacy and try to arrange a space that can accommodate them to have quiet, uninterrupted space. Also, keep in mind that they’ll need areas or storage space for their clothing, and day to day materials. 

Scheduling your in-home nurse

In-home nurses for temporary or long term, overnight care should be arranged with some advanced planning. Accomodations in the home should be prepared before their arrival. 

On the other hand, hourly nursing can be scheduled with shorter notice, and requires less accommodation.

Specialized Nursing Services has a staff of dedicated and trained overnight and hourly nurses. Our caregivers can support your sick parent or elderly loved one’s needs. We’ll also help you prepare your space, so your loved one can experience quality care, right way. Call today to learn more.