When you or someone you love is dealing with a wound at home, it can quickly become overwhelming.
What dressing should be used?
How often should it be changed?
Is the wound improving?
Who should you call when something changes?
And how do you make sure everyone involved in your care knows what is happening?
At HealWell, we believe good wound care begins with good communication and sometimes, having experienced help come directly to you can make all the difference.
Our mobile wound care services bring wound care to the patient’s home, helping individuals and families manage dressing needs while working alongside the healthcare professionals already involved in their care.
Wound Care Where You Need It: At Home
Getting out of the house isn’t always easy when you’re recovering from surgery, dealing with limited mobility, caring for an aging family member, or managing an ongoing wound.
That’s where mobile wound care can help.
Instead of adding another difficult trip to your schedule, a HealWell wound care professional can come to the home to assist with wound care and dressing needs within the services appropriate for the patient’s plan of care.
Having someone come to you can also provide an opportunity to look at how wound care is actually working in the home environment.
Are supplies readily available?
Is the patient or caregiver comfortable with the dressing routine?
Is there confusion about instructions?
Have there been changes that need to be communicated to the patient’s healthcare team?
Those details matter.
Working Together With Home Health Professionals
Many patients receiving wound care at home already have a physician, home health agency, nurse, therapist or other healthcare professional involved in their care.
HealWell’s goal is to work alongside that care team!
Communication between the patient, family, home health professionals and other providers can help everyone stay on the same page.
If you are receiving home health services, keep your home health nurse informed about:
- Changes in the wound’s appearance
- Changes in drainage
- New or increasing discomfort
- Problems keeping a dressing in place
- Skin irritation around the wound
- Supplies or products being used
- Any new instructions you’ve received from another healthcare provider
And if something doesn’t seem right, don’t wait until the next routine visit to mention it.
Keep Your Wound Care Team Informed
One of the simplest things patients and caregivers can do is keep basic wound care information together.
Consider keeping a small notebook or folder with:
Current wound care instructions: Know what your healthcare provider has instructed you to do and how often your dressing should be changed.
Products being used: Keep a list of dressings, cleansers and wound-care products currently being used.
Changes you’ve noticed: Make note of changes between visits so you can accurately describe them to your healthcare professional.
Questions you want to ask: Write questions down as you think of them. It’s surprisingly easy to forget them once your nurse or provider arrives!
The more clearly everyone communicates, the easier it is for the care team to understand what is happening between visits.
Where Does HealWell Gel Fit In?
In addition to our mobile wound care services, we also offer HealWell Gel, our topical wound-care product.
HealWell Gel can be incorporated into wound care routines when its use is appropriate for the individual and consistent with the product’s directions and the patient’s healthcare plan.
For patients already receiving professional wound care, communication is important before adding or changing products.
Tell your nurse or healthcare provider that you are using or interested in using HealWell Gel. Show them the product and discuss whether it is appropriate for your particular wound and existing treatment plan.
Our goal isn’t to complicate wound care.
It’s to help make it more manageable.
When Should You Call a Healthcare Professional?
Wounds can change, and certain changes shouldn’t simply be watched at home.
Contact an appropriate healthcare professional promptly if you notice concerning changes such as increasing redness or swelling, worsening pain, unusual or increased drainage, foul odor, fever, or other signs that concern you.
For severe symptoms or a medical emergency, seek immediate medical attention.
A wound that isn’t progressing as expected also deserves attention. Don’t assume that you simply need to keep doing the same thing indefinitely. Let your healthcare team know what you’re seeing.
Caring for the Person, Not Just the Wound
A wound doesn’t exist in isolation.
Mobility, nutrition, pressure relief, overall health, the home environment, caregiver support and the patient’s ability to follow the care plan can all affect the bigger picture.
That’s one reason we value bringing wound-care services into the home. It allows care to happen where the patient actually lives and manages their day-to-day routine.
Sometimes the biggest obstacle isn’t knowing that a dressing needs to be changed. It’s figuring out how to safely and consistently manage that care at home.
HealWell: Mobile Wound Care + HealWell Gel
If you or someone you care for needs help managing wound care at home, HealWell may be able to help.
Our mobile wound care services are designed to bring experienced assistance directly to the patient, while encouraging communication and collaboration with the physicians, nurses, home health agencies and other healthcare professionals involved in their care.
And through HealWell Gel, we offer another wound-care resource that patients and healthcare professionals can discuss as part of an appropriate wound-care plan.
Your At Home Wound Care Communication Checklist
☐ Keep current wound-care instructions together
☐ Know when dressings should be changed
☐ Keep wound-care supplies organized
☐ Write down changes you notice
☐ Keep a current list of products being used
☐ Tell your mobile wound care provider about changes
☐ Ask before making significant changes to your wound care routine
☐ Discuss HealWell Gel with your healthcare professional when appropriate
☐ Know who to call when you have a wound care concern
Don’t navigate wound care at home alone.
HealWell brings wound care to you.
Whether you need assistance with mobile wound care and dressing changes or would like to learn more about HealWell Gel, contact HealWell to find out how we can help support your wound care journey at home.
Call 405-492-7229 today!