Home Health Care For Kids With Special Needs

Pediatric Home Health Care: An OverviewGonterman, RN AVP Loving Care Agency.
Children with complex medical conditions often needFederal Guidelines...What this means:
skilled nursing services in order to be cared for in theSkilled Pediatric Home Care Agencies abide by federal
home setting. This means skilled professional nursingand state guidelines for Medicare and Medicaid
care but it also means a team of respiratory,providers. What that means for parents is that the
occupational, physical, and speech therapists mayagencies must have strict policies and procedures
contribute to the care of the child at home.that they follow in order to be approved to provide
Pediatric Home Health care...What it isn't:skilled nursing for their child.
Pediatric home health care is a professional specialtyAgencies must also follow OSHA standards for
often misunderstood as a babysitting service ratheroccupational health and safety. The agency and the
than the skilled nursing specialty it is. Another factstaff employed must be compliant with dozens of
that is also misunderstood and often understated isspecific regulations in order to be approved to
how well these fragile children do developmentallyprovide the care needed for a medically complex
when cared for in their own homes surrounded bychild. These guidelines and regulations are put into
the love and care of family and friends.place so that skilled and safe care can be given to
Pediatric Home Health care... What it is:every child.
Pediatric home health nurses virtually run a mini-Professional nurses including RN's, LPN's, Respiratory
intensive care from the bedrooms of these medicallyTherapists and developmental therapist working in
fragile children. Pediatric home health nurses whohome care must be at the top of their game when it
provide hourly shift care in the home for childrencomes to caring for these children in the home
medically challenged often must care for a ventilatorsetting, It is a mini intensive care for some of these
dependent child, one who depends on a tracheotomykids with ventilators, monitors, suction machines,
to breath, or one who depends on a gastric tube fornebulizer machines, tube feedings and pumps and a
feeding and nutrition. These kids require constantvariety of other equipment needed in the home to
monitoring for adequate breathing and oxygenationprovide adequate care. The children are often on
and often require frequent suctioning. Skilled nursing innumerous medications, have adaptive equipment for
the home setting allows for the parents to go tomobility, and need moved from bed to chair to bed
work, attend school, or get some much neededagain several times within a shift often being
sleep.accompanied to the school setting as well. The care
"The challenge in pediatric home care moves fromfor a child at home is a complex and challenging task,
basic survival (breathing) to addressing and enhancingas skilled nurses care for every bodily function and
developmental potentials for these medically fragileprovide for the needs of children who cannot care
children in their own home setting." states Tinafor themselves.