Companion (caregiving)

Companion (caregiving)

In health care and caregiving, a companion, sitter, or private duty may be a nursing assistant or similar professional who is hired to work with one patient (or occasionally two). Companions may be hired to work in a variety of settings, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and private homes, and their duties range from advanced medical care to simple companionship and observation.

Contents

By location

Hospitals

In hospitals, sitters are hired by the hospital for patients who cannot remain unsupervised for even a short period of time. These include patients who are at risk for injury to themselves or others due to disorientation or combativeness, those whose vital signs are severely unstable, or those who have been observed attempting suicide (known as a suicide watch).

Companions performing suicide watches also work in mental institutions. In some facilities, this is referred to as intense suicide observation (ISO) or "intense suicide watch."

Nursing homes

In a nursing home or assisted living facility, a companion or sitter is often hired by the resident or his/her family to provide personal care to the patient at a level that cannot be provided by the facility's nursing staff, in which each member is responsible for a much larger number of patients. These private duty nurses and aides may provide more immediate and detailed service, whereas facility staff can only reach the patient in turn and provide less frequent, rudimentary care. Companions in nursing homes also provide social companionship.

Nursing homes, like hospitals, sometimes hire sitters to watch patients who are at risk for injury to themselves or suicide.

Private homes

An aide providing care to one or more persons in a private home is generally referred to as a home health aide.

Companions are sometimes hired to provide only chores within a household, such as basic-level cooking, cleaning, or in some cases, nothing more than supervision or social interaction without providing any hands-on care.

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Companion — may refer to: A friend or acquaintance you associate yourself with Companion (caregiving), a nurse assistant or similar professional who assists a patient one on one Companion (ship), an architectural feature of ships Companion animal, a pet… …   Wikipedia

  • Respite care — is the provision of short term, temporary relief to those who are caring for family members who might otherwise require permanent placement in a facility outside the home.The term short break is used in some countries to describe respite care.… …   Wikipedia

  • Attachment theory — …   Wikipedia

  • Théorie de l'attachement — Traduction à relire Attachment theory → …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Home care — Home care, (commonly referred to as domiciliary care), is health care or supportive care provided in the patient s home by healthcare professionals (often referred to as home health care or formal care; in the United States, it is known as… …   Wikipedia

  • native American — native American, adj. a person born in the United States. [1835 45, Amer.] * * * ▪ indigenous peoples of Canada and United States Introduction also called  American Indian,  Amerindian,  Amerind,  Indian,  Aboriginal American,  or  First Nation… …   Universalium

  • Native American — Indian (def. 1). Usage. See Indian, Eskimo. * * * ▪ indigenous peoples of Canada and United States Introduction also called  American Indian,  Amerindian,  Amerind,  Indian,  Aboriginal A …   Universalium

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • Eknath Easwaran — (December 17, 1910 – October 26, 1999[1]) was a spiritual teacher, an author of books on meditation and ways to lead a fulfilling life, as well as a translator and interpreter of Indian literature. In 1961 Easwaran founded the Blue Mountain… …   Wikipedia

  • Rainer Maria Rilke — Infobox Writer name = Rainer Maria Rilke imagesize = 200px caption = pseudonym = birthdate = birth date|1875|12|4|df=y birthplace = Prague, Bohemia deathdate = death date and age|1926|12|29|1875|12|4|df=y deathplace = Switzerland occupation =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”