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Hi it’s Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME where we provide tailor made solutions for long-term ventilated Adults& Children with Tracheostomies and otherwise medically complex Patients by improving their Quality of life and where we also provide tailor made solutions to hospitals and Intensive Care Units to save money and resources, whilst providing Quality Care!
In the last blog I shared
Health Service In Crisis: Daughter begs for terminally ill father to have care at home
You can check out last week’s episode by clicking on the link here.
In this week’s blog I want to focus on a study that was published recently on the Medscape website
When a Loved One Is in the ICU: The Symptom Burden of Family Caregivers
A recent article confirms that with Millions of people being admitted into Intensive Care every year all over the world that family caregivers suffer too.
Whether it’s the uncertainty of survival for their loved one whilst they are in Intensive Care or the uncertainty of what the future holds for their loved one, the burden on a family or a family cergiver is huge.
We certainly know from experience from our clients that they have often been through many stressful weeks, months or sometimes even years where their loved ones have been in ICU and therefore their lives stopped…
What is not mentioned in the article below is how much trauma and stress families in Intensive Care have to go through when their loved ones are long-term Patient in ICU for many weeks, many months or sometimes even many years!
It’s often taking an emotional, physical, mental and financial toll when families spend day and night in Intensive Care to be with their loved ones!
It’s stressful enough having a loved one in Intensive Care for a few days, let alone having a loved one in Intensive Care long-term!
We certainly also know from experience that taking long-term ICU Patients home, improves the quality of life for Patients and their families and the psychological stress and trauma is lessened.
Therefore, INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME is providing a holistic win-win solution for all stakeholders when it comes to long-term ventilated and otherwise medically complex long-term ICU adults& children. We provide a genuine alternative to a long-term stay in Intensive Care and we reduce the cost of an ICU bed by 50%.
We also increase the likelihood that families can return back home and return to as much “normality” as possible, living life in an environment where they want to be, whilst their loved one gets similar care than in ICU just in a much more Patient and family friendly environment!
Here is the original article.
When a Loved One Is in the ICU: The Symptom Burden of Family Caregivers
Betty R. Ferrell, PhD, RN
May 22, 2018
Caregivers Have Symptoms Too
There is a growing recognition of the emotional and physical burdens and distress of family caregivers of seriously ill patients. Symptom assessment is the standard of care for patients in critical care settings, yet the symptom burden of family caregivers is not often addressed.
Until now, most of the attention toward symptoms in caregivers has focused on the home environment, where family members become the 24-hour daily caregivers. A recent study[1] identified common symptoms experienced by these family caregivers, a necessary first step in alleviating some of this burden.
An assessment tool commonly used to assess patient symptoms, the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, was used to measure caregiver symptoms. The study also explored the severity of the reported symptoms as well as demographic characteristics associated with symptom burden.
The frequency of self-reported symptoms among caregivers was high—a median of nine symptoms (range, 0-24). Psychological rather than physical symptoms were at the top of the list. For example, “worrying” was identified by 91% of caregivers, followed by sadness (88%) and difficulty concentrating (74%). The most frequent physical symptoms were difficulty sleeping (71%), a lack of energy (60%), and a reduced appetite (55%).
Viewpoint
The term “family-centered care” is often used in healthcare, but this study reminds us about how often we ignore the second-order patients known as family caregivers. This study is part of a growing body of literature which challenges us to expand our scope of care to those who may need it most.[2,3,4,5]
This study sheds new light on the experiences of these family caregivers through assessment of their symptoms. As the investigators acknowledge, millions of patients are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) each year,[6]making this a common area of concern. Often, the critical care admission occurs with no warning, and families are suddenly thrust into the highly stressful situation of an ICU and the uncertain survival of their loved ones. As might be expected, many of the caregiver symptoms were psychological in nature, but physical symptoms were also prevalent. The findings also identify those family caregivers with the greatest symptom burden and distress: younger caregivers, spouses, and those with illnesses of their own to cope with.
If you want to find out how we can help you to get your loved one out of Intensive Care including palliative care or Long-term acute care (also nursing home) or if you find that you have insufficient support for your loved one at home on a ventilator, if you want to know how to get funding for our service or if you have any questions please send me an email to [email protected] or call on one of the numbers below.
Australia/New Zealand +61 41 094 2230
USA/Canada +1 415-915-0090
UK/Ireland +44 118 324 3018
Also, check out our careers section here
www.intensivecareathome.com/careers
We are currently hiring ICU/PICU nurses for clients in the Melbourne metropolitan area and in South Gippsland/Victoria.
We are an NDIS, TAC (Victoria) and DVA (Department of Veteran affairs) approved community service provider in Australia.
We have also been part of the Royal Melbourne health accelerator program for innovative health care companies last year!
https://www.thermh.org.au/news/innovation-funding-announced-melbourne-health-accelerator
Thank you for tuning into this week’s blog.
This is Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME and I see you again next week in another update!
RELATED LINKS:
Introducing the concept of Intensive Home Care Nursing with case studies
How to stay positive if your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care
LONG-TERM VENTILATION AND TRACHEOSTOMY IN INTENSIVE CARE, 3 REASONS WHY HEALTH CONSUMERS NEED TO DEMAND MORE
What do ventilated adults& children with tracheostomies need for in- home care?
The little girl trapped between hospital and home!
