Living at home is preferred by many elderly people. But vulnerable elderly people often cannot do this alone. In order to be able to live at home for as long as possible, the house is often adapted with aids such as a stair lift or facilities in the bathroom. Facilities are also purchased so that you can continue shopping and visiting. In this way, a life with as much independence and freedom as possible can be continued. The community nurse plays an important role in helping older people live at home for as long as possible.
Demand for district nurses increases due to vulnerable elderly people
But despite these adjustments and facilities, many vulnerable elderly people cannot live at home without assistance. The help of a community nurse is then very welcome in the role of caregiver, organizer and social support. Vulnerable elderly people greatly appreciate being helped in their own home and therefore in their own social environment. The group of vulnerable elderly people is also expected to increase sharply in the near future. As a result, the demand for community nurses will also increase.
Care needs and information
A community nurse is primarily a nurse for which he or she has completed higher professional training. He or she may have a sharp vision regarding the situation of the client who, in many cases, has not needed help for a lifetime and is not quick to ask for it, partly due to underestimation of his or her own situation. In case of underestimation, the nurse will inventory the care need together with the client and provide information.
Connect training to new practice
To keep costs manageable, patients are being discharged from hospital earlier and then continue to recover at home. The premise within vocational training for community nurses is therefore that the training must be closely aligned with the new practice of caring for discharged patients. This recovery often requires professional help, which can be provided by a well-trained community nurse.
Linking function of community nurse
The nurse is often the link between the patient and the various professionals. Due to this linking function, the community nurse also has tasks such as coordinating, directing and signaling which tasks are partly aimed at the clients being able to live independently. The community nurse must therefore also be clearly visible to professionals in areas such as housing, welfare, care and the municipality.
To keep in touch
As a care coordinator, the community nurse will maintain contact with general practitioners, landlords and other agencies, care providers, clients’ families, social work and municipalities. In that context, it is also important that the nurse is easily accessible.
Caregiving tasks
A community nurse can independently perform nursing and care tasks such as:
Preparing and administering medications.
- Giving injections.
- Set up an IV.
- Caring for a stoma or catheter.
- Caring for wounds and bruises, including changing bandages.
- Physical care such as washing and dressing.
All these tasks require broad experience and knowledge from the nurse and are carried out in the client’s home.
Community nurse and information
An important task is to provide information. This often concerns clients who are suddenly confronted with an illness and are unfamiliar with it. They do not know what is involved and do not yet have a clear idea of the treatments that will take place. This is certainly the case with clients who have only just been discharged from the hospital as a patient and are still full of questions and tensions in the processing process. To provide this information, the community nurse must have good communication skills.