A new handbook offers guidance for providers, older people and their carers on the clinical management of older people in their homes.
A Practical Handbook for Basic Clinical Care Tasks in the Home, launched by home care support and training consultancy Lorraine Poulos and Associates this month, includes practical advice on identifying changes in condition, where to go for help, and how to manage functional decline.
It’s a companion book to the 2017 Practical Handbook for Basic Clinical Care in the Home.
Managing director Lorraine Poulos says with more older people opting to stay in their homes as they age, home care providers are having to cater for more complex care needs.
The shift means providers are having to pivot from a predominantly social care model to one that’s more clinically based.
Ensuring a successful transition depends not only on educating providers, but also on empowering older people and their loved ones to make decisions about care, Ms Poulos, a registered nurse and health care exectutive, says.
“This book translates complex clinical information into an easy-to-understand format that means older people and their carers have the information they need about the 18 most common clinical care and daily care tasks,” she says.
The book is co-authored by nurse practitioner and psychogeriatrics specialist Catherine Brown.
Professor Lynn Chenoweth, Professor fo Aged Care Nursing at the UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, says the latest publication should join Handbook 1 as an essential companion guide for health and community personnel.
“Not only do they provide evidence-based information and advice on clinical and care requirements for older persons with chronic health issues and disabilities, they clearly advise on use of reablement and rehabilitation techniques by caregivers to support the person’s vitality, wellness, health and quality of life,” she said.
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