Early Detection May Prevent Hospitalization

One of our clients, Betty (1) is 85 years old.  As with many of our older clients, she has many health issues and physical challenges.  Recently, her caregiver, Tamara (1), noticed that Betty seemed more confused and lethargic than she normally was. She also noticed that Betty's skin was a bit flushed and warm. Tamara used the “Stop and Watch” reporting system to record her observations and brought it to the attention of the Home Care clinical staff. 

Tamara’s familiarity with Betty, her observation of a subtle, yet significant, change and the use of the "Stop and Watch" reporting system, resulted in an early diagnosis of a urinary tract infection. Immediate treatment with antibiotics prevented complications from the infection, as well as a possible hospitalization.

The “Stop and Watch” Program is a quick and easy tool for caregivers to use to communicate changes in the condition of a client. In the “Stop and Watch” Program reporting system, each letter stands for an important change. For instance: “ S” stands for “Seems different than usual” ; “T” stands for “Talks or Communicates less than usual” ; "O" stands for "Overall needs more than usual" and "P" stands for "Participated in activities less than usual" and so on, all the way through the “H” at the end of Watch” which stands for “Help with walking, transferring, toileting more than usual.”  The intent of the program is a quick and easy exchange of information between team members, including family members.

A good Home Care Staff is trained on many different types of state and conditions that any of their clients currently have, or may have had in the past so that they are aware of what signs to look for that may indicate significant changes.  Specialized trainings are given on conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia, diabetes, end of life, hoarding, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and more.

Depending on the nature of the changes, a clinical staff will take necessary measures to address the concerns and ensure safety. The emphasis is on identifying and reporting disease symptoms as fast as possible to keep residents from getting so sick that they need to be hospitalized. Our caregivers are trained to get to know each of their clients very well so that they will be able to recognize signs like confusion, lethargy, trouble with balance, changes in appetite, etc

 The “Stop and Watch” Program may be  implemented along with a "Guide for Logging Information",  which helps caregivers break down their observations into more details for a Log Book.

A good home care compay will understand that each situation is unique. Every client deserves ongoing personalized attention from every member of their staff.   In-home care services allow people to heal in the comfort of their own homes. That can be the answer to many worries.

(1) not their real names