Hi marie - I'm sure every visiting nurse agency has it's own individual approach so there may be some differences but I can share my experiences....I think there will be a lot of similarities too. The nurse will most likely start by setting up her laptop computer...all information regarding your mom's needs etc. will be entered into a data base. She'll take vitals - temperature, heart rate, blood pressure - and listen to mom's heart and lungs. She'll ask a series of general health questions, such as: is she having any pain? Is she voiding and moving her bowels regularly? Any uti's? When was she last see by her doctor? Are there any new or other issues she should know about? have there been any falls recently? is she experiencing any hallucinations or delusions? She'll also want a complete list of all mom's meds. She'll probably spend some time just chatting with you and mom too, getting to know you both. I assume since PT was also ordered there must be mobility issues too? if that's the case she may also want to see how your mom functions when it comes to things like getting in and out of bed, on and off the toilet or commode, etc. All in all the first "intake" visit will probably take about an hour to an hour no a half. After the initial visit hopefully a schedule will be set up to see your mom once or twice a week for a few weeks. Those visits will be shorter, but she'll continue to take vitals every time and ask questions about how things are going. The PT's first visit may be very similar, but he or she will also ask your mom to perform a number of simple movements in order to assess her degree of strength, mobility and flexibility. The PT will also definitely want to see how your mom gets in and out of bed etc. Then s/he will also set up a schedule. Subsequent visits will mostly be focused on exercising to build strength and improve mobility. I hope this helps. If you still have questions, ask and I'll try to answer.....been through this process several times over the last five years with my mil!
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Thanks so much. Mom is not mobile and wants to sleep all of the time.
I cannot seem to motivate her. Maybe a new face will help.
All in all the first "intake" visit will probably take about an hour to an hour no a half. After the initial visit hopefully a schedule will be set up to see your mom once or twice a week for a few weeks. Those visits will be shorter, but she'll continue to take vitals every time and ask questions about how things are going.
The PT's first visit may be very similar, but he or she will also ask your mom to perform a number of simple movements in order to assess her degree of strength, mobility and flexibility. The PT will also definitely want to see how your mom gets in and out of bed etc. Then s/he will also set up a schedule. Subsequent visits will mostly be focused on exercising to build strength and improve mobility.
I hope this helps. If you still have questions, ask and I'll try to answer.....been through this process several times over the last five years with my mil!
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