How to Find a Home Health Nurse

If you need long-term medical assistance or care as a senior, you typically have a couple of options. You will likely have a choice between (1) an assisted living facility, or (2) living at home with the aid of a home health nurse. 

If you chose the second option, you or a loved one will have to inevitably go through the somewhat daunting task of hiring a home health nurse. This can be scary and seem difficult at first to patients who don’t have much experience with the medical field. 

You can calm your nerves, however, by focusing on key steps to begin the process. The best way to do this is to first understand the job responsibilities, the benefits, and the difference between a caregiver and a home health nurse. After acquiring a firm understanding of what you want and need, you should discern the best agencies and then finally, ask the right questions when you interview. 

What Does a Home Health Nurse Really Do?

The types of services home health nurses provide include the following:

• administer and monitor medications

• wound care 

• catheter care

• help with services needed for diabetes, colostomy, tracheotomy, lung care, chronic illness, disabilities, dementia, elderly

• orchestrate medical treatments or therapies

• basic activities of daily living (ADL)

Benefits of a Home Health Nurse

The benefits of having a home health nurse include:

• regular assessments of your health 

• contact with your physician and family if anything in your health changes

• give IVs to you at home

• oversee your medications so you won’t miss dosages 

• regular companionship

• can take care of toileting, dressing, grooming and bathing needs when other home care workers are not around

• trained in moving those with disabilities from chair to bed and vice versa

• source of medical and health information that is trustworthy

• your advocate; someone looking out for your best interests regarding health, living a higher quality life, and life itself

Difference Between a Caregiver and Home Health Nurse

There’s a difference between a caregiver (called a home health aide) and a home health nurse. 

Caregivers are able to monitor heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and temperature but they can’t provide medical therapies or procedures. Caregivers focus on the activities of daily living (toileting, bathing, weight transfers). 

A nurse (or nurse practitioner), on the other hand, can administer medical treatment, give emergency medical aid, and act as a liaison between you and a doctor. Essentially, a home health nurse is there for patients who require a little more focus and medical attention. 

Based on what you have just read, do you need a home health nurse? If so, keep reading to find out how you find one that matches your needs? 

The Process of Finding a Home Health Nurse

First talk with the person who will be receiving the services if it’s not you. Explain the purpose, how it will affect their daily routine, and the benefits. Get a confirmation from the person to proceed.

Confirm with your insurance company, Medicare, or Medicaid that you have benefits in your policy that will cover the costs of the home health nurse.

Start your search for a nursing agency. If you go the agency route, you won’t have to worry about screening the nurses, but you also probably won’t have any say on which nurse you get. 

To begin, do a Google search for home health agencies in your area. You can also use tools like Medicare’s Home Health Comparison Tool. Check closely to make sure that the agencies you are considering have the necessary background – Medicare-certified and federal certifications for patient management and care. Also, you may ask your medical physician or other healthcare professionals for referrals.

Check the agency’s reputation on Google, Yelp, and the Better Business Bureau. 

Ask the director of the agency key questions on the following: 

Alternatively, you could try to find an individual home health nurse by referral or find one through a registry. If you go that route, however, you will likely want to interview the candidates thoroughly to determine if they are the right fit for you. 

Next, start the interview process. You may want to have a wise family member with you simultaneously for support and to ask important questions.

The new relationship you are looking for is one that is very important. Skill won’t be  enough. 

You will want someone who has or is:

• smart
• caring
• able to laugh with you and help you lighten heavy emotional burdens occasionally
• has empathy
• problem solving skills
• resilient
• takes a leadership role when it comes to directing your health future
• compassionate
• conversational
• and at the same time, able to get things done efficiently

That’s a lot to consider. Check the questions below when interviewing the nurses to see if these qualities come out in the conversation.

Possible Questions to Ask During Your Interview

1. When was the last time you worked for someone who was hard to get along with? Why were they so difficult? How did you manage the relationship?
2. Have you ever worked with someone who put up a block against communication with you? What did you do to break the wall down?
3. How do you handle patients who are upset or angry? What’s an example?
4. When was the last time you worked with someone and used empathy? What was the situation and what did you do and say?
5. How have you shown empathy to family members in your job? What’s a situation?
6. When someone has different values or beliefs, how do you handle that?
7. Are you a problem solver? What kinds of problems have you solved in your nursing career?
8. How do you manage stress on and from the job?
9. How do you manage a situation like someone in the family or a patient not liking you?
10. What do you do if a doctor orders something that you know is not going to work out well for a patient?
11. How have you handled cases where the family is doing something that is putting a patient at harm?

Consider how quickly the nurse answered the questions. Speed of answer usually means that the person has developed the skill in question. 

For example, when a nurse answers question #3 quickly, it probably means that she has a ‘protocol’ for what to do with upset patients. She’s not a newbie at it. When answering question 11 quickly and with emotion, she is recalling a situation where she had to step in and do what was right for the patient without backing down. 

Then sit down with your loved one who was at the interviews with you and go over your notes. Who are the top two contenders? Who did you have the best rapport with? .