Nursing

[Ann]

Hi,
my son is vent dependent and has been home for over four years now. Â*For the last three years we received 65 hours a week from private insurance. Â*Just recently, private insurance stopped paying for any nursing and under our state program, we get 8 hours a day (56/wk) plus 720 additional hours a year as respite - which actually works out to about 65 hours a week. Â*I work full time, so I use my hours M-F (10 hr days) and then I get a few nights a week, if they can staff it. Â*
Take care,
Ann

[christyw]

At first (maybe the first 3 months) we were given 24/7 - but it wasn't always covered (rarely if ever did we go a full seven days with 24 hr coverage - we would ususally have a night or two without a nurse). It started to dwindle after a few months by about two hours a day. So it went to 22 hrs, then 20 - I liked it at 20 hrs for awhile (10 hrs per nurse - giving us a few hours in the afternoon w/o anyone here). It seems like we were getting at least that much for about 6 months and then we cut it back ourselves, so I don't know for sure after that. It seems like the last notice that I was given (at the first part of this year - after Gaithy has been home for 1.5 yr) was 10 hours a day 5 days a week. However, we stopped all of our nursing as of 3/19.

christy

[Shari]

Jacob got 24/7 for one month (was never staffed), then it slowly has cut down. We have 16 hrs per day now, we use 12 hrs. I like having a nurse to come in at 7 at night, help with trach care, treatments, etc, then monitor the vent while I sleep. I don't work outside the home, so I stopped having regular day nurses about 10 mths after comming home. Although we have gone through some duds, I have some really good nurses now and am completely staffed. My son is two now and off of the vent while awake. Be prepared to train all of your nurses. As a pediatric nurse, I can tell you that you don't learn all of this in school! You will be the expert. Good luck.
-Shari Wells