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Specialized services for ventilated Clients with Tracheostomy in the community are a vital necessity MP3
In last week’s blog I talked about the “15 positive and reliable realities about mechanical ventilation with Tracheostomy outside of Intensive Care in somebody’s home” you can read, watch or listen to those positive and reliable realities by clicking on this link here https://intensivecareathome.com/15-positive-and-reliable-realities-about-mechanical-ventilation-with-tracheostomy-outside-of-intensive-care-in-somebodys-home/
In this week’s blog I want to hone in on how and why an extension of Intensive Care services for long-term ventilated adults& children with Tracheostomy in the community are becoming a vital necessity!
Intensive Care Units are doing a tremendous job at keeping people alive and it never ceases to amaze me how much modern medicine can do for people and it also amazes me to see how resilient critically ill Patients and their Families are in Intensive Care! Keeping people alive is generally a good thing and sometimes in Intensive Care it comes to the point where a Patient is stuck in Intensive Care, simply because they are ventilator dependent with Tracheostomy! They may be medically stable and they may be at the point where the only reason keeping them in Intensive Care is the ventilator dependency.
Current clinical paradigms still have the perception that the only logical next step for a long-term ventilated Patient is to go to a hospital ward after the Patient has been weaned off the ventilator. Weaning may or may not be possible and sometimes the Adult or Child maybe ventilator dependent for a long time to come. This often comes at a detriment to the Client’s and their Family’s Quality of Life as an Intensive Care Unit is not the right place to be in, long term. And it is not the right place for Intensive Care Units either! Beds are blocked and staff get frustrated, just as much as the Patients and their Families are getting frustrated! Often inertia sets in and nobody knows what to do next, but everybody knows that Intensive Care is not the right place to be in!
So what’s the solution to this dilemma, for both, the Clients, their Families and for Intensive Care Units alike? The solution to this dilemma is to think what’s best for all parties involved and to create a win-win situation by taking long-term ventilated Adults& Children with Tracheostomy out of Intensive Care into their own home! It’s a no brainer for those who have seen it and who have also seen those Patients blossom, by just taking them into a Client and Family friendly environment, which is their home!
What do you think? What is your view on this topic and dilemma? Do Intensive Home Care Nursing services improve the Quality of Life for Clients and their Families and do they also help Intensive Care Units manage their resources more effectively? Share your views by leaving your comment below!
If you are a health professional in Intensive Care and you think you know a long-term ventilated Adult or Child with Tracheostomy and their Family who would like to improve their Quality of Life and/or their Quality of end of Life in their own home rather than in Intensive Care- even if it is to go home for a weekend- and if your organisation would also like to save money and resources along the way or if you simply have any questions, give us a call on 03-9939 7456 or simply send me an email to [email protected]
Have a great day!
Patrik