Caring For the Sick
Prepared by: ASB
Home Sick
Home Nursing- is an act of taking care of a sick person at home.
Benefits of Home Care Nursing
1. Assures the Sick person of a more personalized care
2. Allows more freedom and independence
3. Promotes healing and provides safety against infections
4. Less expensive than impatient care
5. Strengthens the bond of the Family
6. Lessens problems of interrupted family activities
7. Trains every member of the family to take care of the sick
8. Sick person feels more secured mentally and emotionally
Characteristics of a Good Nurse
Patience and Tolerance
Optimistic and Hopeful
Responsible
Sense of Humor
Diligence
Compassionate
Systematic and Organized
Common Illnesses, Signs, and
Symptoms
Common Illnesses of Children
Flu- any of several virus diseases marked especially by respiratory or intestinal symptoms.
Whooping cough- a contagious bacterial disease chiefly affecting children, characterized
by convulsive coughs followed by a whoop.
G Astroenteritis- inflammation of the stomach and intestines, typically resulting from
bacterial toxins or viral infection and causing vomiting and diarrhea.
Tonsillitis- is inflammation of the tonsils, two oval-shaped pads of tissue at the back of the
throat — one tonsil on each side. Signs and symptoms of tonsillitis include swollen tonsils,
sore throat, difficulty swallowing and tender lymph nodes on the sides of the neck.
Chicken Pox- Chickenpox is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It causes an
itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. Chickenpox is highly contagious to people who
haven't had the disease or been vaccinated against it. Today, a vaccine is available that
protects children against chickenpox
Common Illnesses, Signs, and
Symptoms
Common Illnesses of the Elderly
Arthritis- Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of
arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common
types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Diabetes- is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food
into energy. Your body breaks down most of the food you eat into sugar (glucose) and
releases it into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas
to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use
as energy.
Pneumonia- Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The
air sacs may fill with fluid or pus (purulent material), causing cough with phlegm or pus,
fever, chills, and difficulty breathing. A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and
fungi, can cause pneumonia.
Osteoporosis- is a disease that weakens bones to the point where they break easily — most
often, bones in the hip, backbone (spine), and wrist. Osteoporosis is called a “silent
disease” because you may not notice any changes until a bone breaks. All the while,
though, your bones had been losing strength for many years.
Common Illnesses, Signs, and
Symptoms
Common Illnesses of the Elderly
Dementia- the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and
reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person's daily life and
activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and
their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the
mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person's functioning, to
the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on
others for basic activities of living.
Alzheimer’s Disease- Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic disorder
that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die. Alzheimer's
disease is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in
thinking, behavioral and social skills that affects a person's ability to function
independently.
Common Illnesses of the Elderly
Vital Signs- are measurements of the body’s most basic functions such as
body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.
These practices are important in identifying or monitoring a person’s medical
problem whether in the clinic, hospital or even at home.
1. Body Temperature
2. Pulse Rate
3. Respiration Rate
4. Blood Pressure
Normal Respiratory Rate for Different
Ages
Caring for the Sick
Bedroom
Bathing the Patient:
Types of Bathing:
a. Complete bed bath
b. Partial bed bath
c. Shower bath
d. Tub Bath
Dressing and Underdressing the patient
Guidelines that you should take note in doing this procedure.
a. Provide patient’s privacy by closing the door of the room.
b. Encourage the patient to do as much as possible
c. Remove clothing from the strong side first
d. Put clothing on the weak side first.
Making an Occupied Bed
Steps in Making an Occupied Bed:
a. Provide patient’s privacy
b. Gently roll the patient to one side of the bed
c. Roll the bedsheet to the center with the soiled portion inside
d. Place the clean bedsheet along the center of the bed then fanfold against the patient’s
back and unfold the remaining half.
e. Remove the soiled bedsheet by rolling it from the side to the center, then place it into the
hamper.
f. Unfold the clean bedsheet and spread it completely and neatly on the bed.
