Get an assessment by a Registered Nurse, so your parent's care starts off right.

The assessment by a Registered Nurse is provided at no charge and is specific to your parent

We always provide an assessment by a Registered Nurse.

The Registered Nurse may assess and/or review many or all of the following during the no charge home care assessment, depending on the situation:

Mobility and balance – this is not just an interview. The Registered Nurse will actually ask your parent to stand or assist them to stand, walk with them, and observe their ability to transfer etc.

Medications – your parent may have more than one prescribing doctor. This can lead to medication interactions and overdoses. They may have expired medications that need to be properly disposed of. They may have over the counter medications that can impact the effectiveness of, or interact, with prescribed medications.

The Registered Nurse can gain valuable insight into your parent’s medical condition by reviewing their medication and the dosage information. The Nurse can also help your parent understand the role of the various medications (it is very common for people to not have a good understanding of their own medications). Individuals from non-medical services who are not medically trained professionals are not qualified to review medications.

Blood-work results – the Registered Nurse can inform your parent about the generally accepted schedules for blood work, taking into consideration their diagnosis, medications and general health status. Individuals from non-medical services who are not medically trained professionals are not qualified to review blood-work results.

Blood sugar readings – the Registered Nurse can sample your parent’s blood sugar at the time, or review their journal if one is being kept. Many clients are unaware of what to do if their blood sugar is outside of an acceptable “norm” or may not know what an acceptable norm is.

Cognition – our Registered Nurses have years of experience caring for clients with a wide range of cognitive health. The initial assessment will allow the Registered Nurse to gain valuable insight into your parent’s needs. We can then create a plan to help keep them as safe and as happy as possible. Individuals from non-medical services who are not medically trained professionals do not have the qualifications to understand or interpret the numerous medical reasons for changes in cognition and the treatment options that are appropriate. 

Environment – the environment that your parent lives in can impact many aspects of both their wellbeing and the ability to properly and safely provide care. Loose rugs etc. can be tripping hazards. Low lighting can similarly result in falls. Bathroom arrangements can impact where in the home, care can be provided. In facility settings, other factors such as security, can come into play. These are just a few of the many physical aspects of the living environment that need to be considered.

The Registered Nurse providing the assessment can answer your and your parent’s questions and share general information on a variety of topics such as:

• Nutrition and hydration.
• Falls and how to reduce their occurrence.
• The benefit of using blister packs or dossettes for accurate medication administration.
• Remedies for constipation (a very common and unpleasant ailment that can be related to medications, nutrition, hydration, level of activity, or pre-existing illness, and lead to sometimes serious complications if not addressed).
• Successful strategies and resources that have worked well for other seniors, under similar circumstances.

The Registered Nurse may also make recommendations for services, devices and programs

• Services – offer the names and numbers of trusted resources that can be accessed for a wide range of health concerns; physiotherapists, denturists, hearing specialists, hairstylists that visit at home, chiropodists, speech language pathologists etc.
• Assistive devices – based on viewing the client’s environment and taking into account the ability of the client to accomplish their activities of daily living.
• Specialty programs – for strength and balance for Parkinson’s patients, caregiver support groups for those with Alzheimer’s, day programs, pool exercise classes etc.

No charge home care assessment – Next steps

Once we have a thorough understanding of your parent’s care needs we will, with your permission put the plan into action. The plan will include PSW care that is actively case managed and supervised by Registered Nurses – at no additional charge.

Please note: we provide our free assessment by a Registered Nurse as part of ensuring that we are a good match for prospective clients’ needs. We do not provide “stand-alone” assessments.