FULL Sunlight Care CHHA Training Guide

Safety

Clear pathways, no water on the floor, proper lighting in home, encourage use of equipment such as walker or cane if at fall risk.

Fire Safety

Rescue client first from danger, know your exits, know the address where you are; keep exits of home unblocked.

Health Safety

Determine if the client is a DNR and understand what a POLST form is; know what to do if the client is DNR and not on Hospice.

Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment; a form where clients can list their wishes at end of life

Oxygen Safety

No flammables near oxygen, such as cigarettes, candles, space heaters, stove; caregiver is not allowed to change the dose of oxygen.

Fall Precautions

Nearby or hands-on assist when ambulating; emergency response systems on; keep clients with Dementia in view at all times.

Bleeding Precautions

When on certain medications, if the client suffers a cut, the caregiver may need to hold pressure and elevate longer than on a regular person.

Aspiration (choking) Precautions

Must observe the person at all times when eating; they must be in an upright position, and if receiving a tube feeding, they must be kept upright for 30 minutes after eating.

Dementia

Keep stove, running water, potential poisons, and knives out of reach; keep medications out of reach; maintain wander precautions and keep in view at all times.

Food Safety

Food preparation includes not defrosting food on the counter, washing fruits and vegetables, being careful with raw meats, checking expiration dates, and labeling leftovers if possible.

Body Mechanics

Legs shoulder width apart for a wide base of support, bending knees, no twisting; keep client close when transferring, assisting them in moving towards their strong side if one side is weak.

Communication

Send, receive, feedback; avoid using medical terms or slang with clients; speak clearly and loudly; ensure hearing aids are in and glasses are on; speak slightly slower and enunciate clearly if you have an accent.

HIPAA/Confidentiality

Only speak to those on the Care team; if in doubt, contact your nurse supervisor.

ADLs

Activities of Daily Living.

BM

Bowel Movement (poop, feces).

CHF

Congestive Heart Failure, a condition where the heart is unable to pump effectively, causing blood to back up instead of circulating.

COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a condition where people have problems breathing.

CPR

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

CVA

Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke), where blood supply to a part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel leaks within the brain.

DNR

Do Not Resuscitate.

F/U

Follow Up.

GERD

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, where stomach contents back up the esophagus, commonly referred to as reflux or heartburn.

GI

Gastrointestinal.

H20

Water.

NWB

(Non-weight-bearing) unable to support body weight on one or both legs.

OOB with ***'t

Out of Bed with Assistance.

PEG Tube

A tube that goes into the stomach used to feed clients who are unable to swallow; HHA DO NOT do the tube feedings.

PWB

Partial Weight-Bearing.

ROM

Range of Motion; exercise that moves muscles to prevent contracture and atrophy, increasing circulation of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to improve muscle tone.

SOB

Shortness of Breath.

STM

Short Term Memory.

TIA

Transient Ischemic Attack, also known as a mini stroke.

TPR

Temperature, Pulse, Respiration.

VS

Vital Signs; important information related to temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and pain indicators.

W/C

Wheelchair.

Prone

Lying on stomach.

Psychological Abuse

Emotionally harming the client by threatening, scaring, humiliating, isolating, insulting, or treating them as a child.

Quadriplegia

Loss of function of arms, trunk, and legs.

Radial Pulse

The heartbeat felt on the wrist along the thumb.

Reportable Occurrences

Anything that endangers clients should be reported immediately, such as falls, chest pain, severe headaches, difficulty breathing, abnormal pulse, respiration, or blood pressure, change in mental status, sudden weakness or loss of mobility, high fever, loss of consciousness, bleeding, change in client's condition, bruise, abrasion, or other signs of possible abuse.

Respirations

Breathing; inspiration (taking in oxygen) and expiration (removing carbon dioxide).

Rollator

Rolling walker.

Scope of Practice

Defines the tasks a HHA are allowed to do and how to do them correctly.

Standard Precautions

Treating body fluids, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes as if they were infected with an infectious disease; includes washing hands and wearing gloves.

Subjective Information

An opinion that cannot be observed.

Sundowning

When a person becomes restless and agitated in the late afternoon, evening, or night.

Supine

lying on back

Transferring

moving a client from one place to another

Transmission Based Precautions

used in addition to Standard Precautions, there is known infection and we wash hands, wear gloves plus additional appropriate protective equipment such as gown, mask and goggles

Triggers

situations that lead to agitation

Tympanic Temperature

temperature checked in ear canal

Temporal Temperature

temperature checked across forehead or temple

Hospice

compassionate care for a dying client within the last six months of their lives

Hypertension

high blood pressure; if untreated, can cause injury to heart, brain, and kidneys

Incidence Reports

reports of occurrences or events such as client falls, you or a client break or damage something, a mistake in care, a client or family members make a request that is out of your scope of practice, client or family member makes sexual advance or remarks, anything that happens that makes you feel uncomfortable, threatened, or unsafe, an on-the-job injury, exposure to blood or body fluids

Incontinence

the inability to control bladder or bowels

Indwelling Catheter

a tube that remains inside the bladder and drains urine into a bag

Low Sodium Diet

low salt diet (know what foods to avoid)

Malignant Tumor

cancerous growth

Neglect

harming a person physically, mentally or emotionally by failing to provide needed care

Neuropathy

numbness, tingling and pain in the hands and legs

Objective Information

based on observations, facts, signs

Obstructed Airway

choking, unable to speak, breathe, or cough due to a blockage of the tube which air enters the lungs; universal sign is when they have their hands on their neck, resolved by Heimlich maneuver

Orthostatic Hypotension

low blood pressure when getting up

Oxygen Concentrator

changes air in the room into air with more oxygen; oxygen is flammable

Paraplegia

loss of function of lower body and legs

Palliative Care

comfort care

Perineal Care

care of the genital and anal area

Peristalsis

muscular contractions of the esophagus and intestines that push food through the GI tract

Phantom Limb Sensation

when a person feels the sense that a body part that has been amputated is still there

Physical Abuse

harm to the client's body such as slapping, bruising, pushing, shoving

Pivot

twisting on the balls of your feet

POLST Form

Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment; a form where clients can list their wishes at end of life.

Abduction

moving body parts away from the center of the body

Adduction

moving body parts back to the midline

Advance Directives

legal documents that allow people to choose what medical care they wish to have if they cannot make those decisions themselves

Agitation

excited, restless

Alignment

a straight line down the center of the body

Alzheimer's disease

a type of Dementia which gets worse over time; is progressive, degenerative and irreversible

Ambulate

to walk

Apathy

lack of interest in activities

Aspiration

inhalation of food, fluid, or foreign materials into the lungs

Atrophy

muscles become weak. Range of Motion/Exercises are recommended

Axillary Temperature

temperature taken in the armpits

Barriers to Communication

A blockage or wall to communication: hearing deficits, client or caregiver speaks a different language, use of slang, cliches, strong accents, using medical terminology

Base of Support

the foundation; the feet are the body's base of support, which should be shoulder width apart when moving a client

Benign Tumor

non-cancerous growth

Bony Prominence

Areas where the bones lie close to the skin such as elbows, shoulder blades, sacrum (tailbone), hips, knees, ankles, heels, toes

Care Plan

the individualized guide to care that lists the tasks the Home Health Aide must perform. Activities not listed on the care plan should not be performed

Condom Catheter

an outside-the-penis attachment which attaches to a bag and drains urine

Confidentiality

keeping private things private

Constipation

inability to eliminate bowel movement, or infrequent, difficult and painful elimination of a hard, dry stool; prevented by increased fluids and fiber (fruits and vegetables) and movement

Contracture

muscles and tendons of joints becomes stiff and rigid leading to deformity

Dangling

allow the client to sit on the side of the bed for a moment before getting up in order to regain and prevent dizziness.

Dehydration

when a person doesn't have enough fluid in their body, either from not drinking enough or if they have diarrhea or are vomiting

Diarrhea

frequent elimination of liquid or semi-liquid bowel movement, treated with a change of diet (BRAT Diet) - Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Tea/Toast.

BRAT

Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast/tea

Diabetes

occurs when the pancreas produces too little insulin or does not properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts glucose into energy for the body

Diuretics

medications that reduce fluid volume or blood pressure

Fluid Overload

occurs when the body is unable to handle the amount of fluid consumed

Hallucinations

seeing, hearing, tasting, or feeling things that are not there