RLO: Home Visiting: Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to the Community. This is where the patient's journey begins. You will quickly discover that most people prefer to be cared for in their own homes. The majority of care is provided by families with unconditional love and support. For some the experience of illness and difficulties beyond occasional problems require the introduction and continuation of formal services in the home. Community health care professions have a central role and function in care at home. This relies significantly on developing a good relationship with the service user, their families, and other carers. Quality of interaction can influence not only your experience, but also the outcome of a programme of care.

It is important then that you as a nurse gain the respect and trust of service users in their own homes and endeavour to work in partnership with the patient, their main carers, and other networks.

The aim of this Re-usable Learning Object is to introduce you to the setting of home-centred health care and some of the preliminary issues you may be faced with, and also to proactively think about how you would deal with them. Your personal characteristics, values and actions can influence the success of a programme of care. The realistic exercises have been designed to raise awareness of situations linked to communication and interpersonal skills, accountability and safety.