Geri-Psychiatric Home Health Care Nursing

Alma Health Skilled Services’ Geri-Psychiatric Nursing Program establishes a strong support to total quality care and improved outcomes.

What is unique about psychiatric home care?

Psychiatric home care is bound by the same CMS regulations that define other types of home care. Our geri-psychiatric nurse identifies specific symptoms and plans focused interventions, working closely with the physician.

• Depth of choice for intervention strategy: Psycho-education, interpersonal reflective, supportive, individual, and/or brief therapy, as well as behavior therapy, relaxation contract and reward provisions are some of the strategies we use.
• Depression management: Our psych nurse seeks ways to displace internalized anger outwardly.
• Stress management and education of stress strategies: Commonly taught. Many patients have weak/fragile coping mechanisms that require reinforcement or a new approach.
• Forms linkages between the patient and needed community services.
• Assists patients to cope with behaviors and approaches patients with an attitude of respect, assisting to rebuild worth and dignity.
• Assessment of patients and their support system, teaching use of psychotherapeutic techniques to facilitate change, medication management, and supervising their care in a supportive fashion that sustains physical, emotional and spiritual life.

Medication Management

• Medication management is frequently one of the main reasons for hospitalization. Medication management intervention is very individualized.

Relationship Building and Trust

• Builds relationships established on trust, caring, compassion, empathy, education, and hopefulness.
• Uses verbal and non-verbal communication techniques to convey interest and assesses what the patient wants to accomplish.
• Assists with care planning and goal achievement, clarifies the boundaries of the relationship, and affirms patient value and worth.

Who Can Benefit?

• Elderly patients with stressors, depression and cognitive impairments.
• Elderly patients in transition to new environments and levels of care.

What Results are Expended?

• A therapeutic relationship built upon trust that provides acceptance to teaching and compliance with medication, leaving the patient calmer, organized, stronger, and knowledgeable.
• Improved links with family, friends, and the community.
• Improved compliance with medication regimens.
• Improved problem-solving, stronger ego boundaries, and enhanced self-concept (commonly seen with elderly patients who are suffering significant losses in life).