I'm going to be nursing from now on, but what should I do specifically for nursing?
How can I start using the long-term care insurance system?
Nursing problems often occur suddenly. A family member who was healthy until last month suddenly needs nursing care due to illness or injury.
Many people say, "I never thought that my family would need nursing care due to illness or injury." Is it not?
This time, I will explain nursing care and explain in an easy-to-understand manner what to do to use the nursing care insurance system.
table of contents
About care
When it comes to nursing care, there are many different things to do.
The items that require nursing care vary from person to person, but they can be roughly divided into items such as eating, excretion, dressing, cleaning, bathing, and going out.
meal
When you need nursing care for meals, you can think of a state where you can't make your own meals or eat your own meals.
It would be nice if they could eat normal meals, but as they age, their ability to swallow declines, so there may be cases where you have to make porridge or mix side dishes in a blender to make them thicker. If the teeth are in bad condition, there are problems such as spilling food, so various considerations are required even if it is called nursing care for meals.
excretion
If you can't go to the bathroom on your own, you may use diapers. If you use diapers, you may not be able to stand or move by yourself, so you will need to change diapers. There are various types of diapers, so it is a good idea to consider how much your family can move around and how often you can change diapers before making your selection.
Portable toilets are also an option if you can only get out of bed. Also, if they can move a little more, there are cases where it is okay to just help them move to the bathroom or help them put their pants on and off.
changing clothes
In some cases, you may need help getting dressed. If you are unable to get dressed on your own, it is possible that you are unable to get up on your own.
In addition to helping with changing clothes, there are times when assistance with various activities is required, such as wiping the body at the timing of changing clothes, supporting the standing up, getting up from the bed, etc.
Cleanliness
It refers to actions such as styling hair, brushing teeth, and shaving. If you stay in bed, you will inevitably stop brushing your teeth, applying makeup, and shaving. However, if you do not cleanse your teeth, you will have problems such as periodontal disease and tooth decay, and you will not want to go out because your hair is not in order, and various other problems will occur. Then you tend to spend time in bed, which leads to disruption of the rhythm of your life.
Even if you can't move from your bed, it's important to cleanse yourself at the same time as you would in your normal life so that you can live a well-balanced life.
bathing
Bathing is a hard work item among nursing care items.
As you get older, taking a bath can become a hassle, or you may not be able to enter the bathtub, and the shower will be the end of the bath.
Also, bathrooms can be extremely hot and cold, putting you at risk of a heart attack. In addition, the foam makes the washing area slippery, and people are afraid of falling over, which makes it difficult for them to actively take a bath.
If you can't take a bath as you would like, it's a good idea to finish your bath in a warm day or warm up the bathroom with a shower. Instead of solving bathing problems on your own, consider using a day service that offers visits and bathing.
Go out
When walking becomes difficult, they use a pushcart or a wheelchair. Opening and closing the wheelchair and loading it into the car are surprisingly hard work. Also, even though barrier-free facilities are progressing, once you go outside, the road surface is uneven and there are slopes, making it difficult to push a wheelchair.
Accompaniment to hospital visits and shopping are also important forms of nursing care. Depending on the person, the only opportunities to go out are going to the hospital or shopping, so the opportunity to go out will be valuable for the person. By taking action with time to spare, you can avoid troubles such as falling while on the go.
To use the long-term care insurance system
Various services can be received by using the long-term care insurance system.
The place to apply for long-term care insurance is the office of the municipality where the person who needs long-term care resides. The department in charge differs depending on each municipality.
Shortly after applying for long-term care insurance, a long-term care insurance certified investigator will come to the person who plans to use long-term care insurance to conduct a “certification survey”. In this survey, the certified investigator will grasp the condition of the target person by asking various questions.
After the certification survey is completed, the degree of care is determined by the certification examination committee for long-term care. Along with the accreditation survey, a statement from the attending physician will also be submitted for reference.
The level of care is divided into 7 levels, from light level to level 1/2, and level 1 to 5. The higher the level of care, the more services you can use. (Nursing level 5 is the highest level of care)
Once the level of care is determined, a care manager will be assigned. After meeting with the care manager to decide which service to use and make a contract, the service will begin to be used.
There are various services that can be used, such as helpers, day services, home-visit nursing, etc.
Since the services needed differ from person to person, it is a good idea to talk frankly with your care manager about what kind of problems you have in your current life and what you want to solve.
summary
In this article, we have explained in an easy-to-understand manner about nursing care and the nursing care insurance system.
Precisely because the problem of nursing care suddenly emerges, it is necessary to research in advance what kind of nursing care is done and what kind of systems are available. Even if you try to find out after you need nursing care, you may not be able to make a calm decision because you will not have time and mental leeway.
While you still have time, do some research on things like the long-term care insurance system and try to understand it.
References
・Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare: What is long-term care insurance?
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000801559.pdf