‘CARE OUT IN

| Preventive medicine and help at home

, “What dox most people i imagine when they
_ think of Public Health Nurses? For most of

us, what immediately comes to mind is.

"needles". |

While a large part of what» a’ Public
Health ‘Nurse does is vaccinations, there is
more to Public Health Nursing than that.
Public Health Nurses also make home visits.

They hold Child Health Clinics and are

involved in Health Fairs, As well as provid-

ing immunizations for babies, they weigh and |

measure and address any other concerns
parents may have. .
_ Public Health Nurses visit schools and

day care centres. They deal with communi- °
cable diseases in all the schools and provide '

_ hearing and vision screening for kindergar-
ten children.

The role of Public Health Nurses involves
the preventative side of nursing, They work

on health promotion with a focus on trying to »

prevent people from getting ill. Public Health

Nurses are involved with getting individuals

to take responsibility for their own health.
They teach that prevention can be more
effective than cure. They will give presenta-
tions to.groups on request, addressing a
variety of health-related problems.

: Public Health Nurses are a resource, and

people with specific health problems: wanting’

information can link up with the right
resources and services through the Public
Health Nurses.

And what i is the Home Care Nursing Pro-
gram? f

Home Care Nurses provide in-home
professional nursing care for people whose
health makes it difficult to look after them-

selves, They work seven days a week, includ- — .

ing Christmas, Easter and all other holidays.

A Home Care Nurse’s case load can
consist of post-op surgical patients with
complications. The nurse will go into the
home to change dressings and teach patients

and family to do wound care and assume |

care for themselves,
Home Care Nurses are also involved with

- teach:

: hye :

people who need assistance with. medication

on many different levels. °°
. They: ‘deal with Palliative Care patients,

, who are terminally ill and have chosen ‘to die
- at home, visit-‘ re ed
_ ing to support’:

the: family and’

the care givers.

- as-well as the:

patients. |
‘Home Care
Nurses help -
paraplegics
and quadri-
plegics who
require assis-.
tance. They
ostomy: |
care and con-

tinue ‘to assist:
. those who. can- ©
- not do their

own.care. .
In many cases, ‘Home Care Nurses allow

a patient to return home from the hospital, -

letting them continue their recovery at home,
_Four Home Care Nurses are currently on

7 staif at the Skeena Health Unit. The nurses —
~ all work part-time, which canbe any amount ._::
of hours up to and including full-time. The... i

hours of the Home Care Nurse are dictated.
by the needs of the community. ;
The Home Care Nursing Program is one

of many community programs ‘Provided.
through the Skeena Health Unit. .

Under the Continuing Care Division of

the Ministry of Health is the. Long 7 Term - ve .

Care Nurse Assessor.

The Long Term Care Nurse assesses...

people in the community, either for facility
placement or for home support services such
as homemakers. On difficult and: complex
situations the Long Term. Care . Nurse |

Assessor does case management work within,

the community, locating the needed resources

~ and coordinating them for the family.

— Diana English

Terrace Review — May 8, 1992