Unicare Home Ventilator Program

Unicare will be an exhibitor at this years SMA Conference on June 17th and 18th, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. We will be demonstrating the new ResMed Astral Ventilator and will have Resmed nearby to answer any questions you may have. Stop by our booth for prizes and giveaways!

In light of the events that happened yesterday at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, I regret to inform that we will be postponing our open house schedule for tomorrow evening. Unicare prides itself on compassion for others and it does not seem appropriate to have a celebration while so many others are mourning. Our prayers go out to all those affected.

RT Tip Tuesday: General and HAND hygiene is the best defense against the spread of germs. Never mix tracheal and oral suction devices or secretions. Stay on top of everyone that has contact with your child or their surroundings, especially home nursing who can get lax in this area day after day. Make sure everyone is well (take their temp before entering the room if necessary) and has a current flu shot or stays away, if its a must wear a face mask. The sick season is upon us but lets try to stay out of the hospital! Happy.. Healthy... HomeCARE!

What does UNICARE mean anyway? The UNI in Unicare is for Unique! 27 years ago the owner came up with this because from the very beginning he wanted this company to be different than the rest. Unicare's patient centered approach to homecare has been called "crazy" by other industry professionals. We provide a level of care to EVERY patient that we would expect for our own family members. We customize our plan of care to match the needs of each individual patient from every pie...ce of equipment to every single supply- regardless of insurance, diagnosis, distance or cost. By treating our clients as family and not just numbers or dollars we have been very successful where others have failed. We are leading the industry in non repeat hospital admissions, turn around time, inventory stock, and most important in customer satisfaction. Ask any of our patients and they will tell you they have never experienced a company like ours, and we hope to keep it that way! See more

RT Tip Tuesday: not really RT but related this weeks is a feeding tube tip- Avoid Misconnecting Feeding Tubes Potentially harmful misconnections between enteral feeding sets (female luer connection), balloon inflation ports, epidural catheters and oxygen tubing can occur. The following precautions should be reviewed by caregiver staff:... Become familiar with the device labeling. Examine interconnections to make sure they're compatible. Use the correct fittings and connect them according to the manufacturer's instructions. Check feeding administration sets when your shift begins and then often to make sure that solutions are being delivered safely. Supervise the patient closely during enteral feeding. Make sure that no misconnections occur when the patient gets out of bed or during transport. Tape all connections to keep enteral feeding tubes correctly aligned and connected. If a connection becomes dislodged, make sure that a qualified person reconnects it properly.

A couple more details; Transportation will not be provided. We will be sitting in a wheelchair accessible area. We will have shade coverage. We do not recomme...nd bringing children who are sensitive to loud sounds. You do not have to be a Unicare patient to attend, all are welcome! See more

Unicare Home Ventilator Program will be sponsoring an outing for ventilator patients in the So. Cal. area to the last Dodger game of the season vs the Padres 10/4 at noon. We will be providing tickets for vent users plus 2 care givers, but space is limited so if any families are interested in attending please contact me for reservations. Deadline is 9/16. We will also have a group of RT volunteers and backup equipment for respiratory support. Any questions feel free to contact us!

RT Tip Tuesday: Do NOT use the high pressure alarm as an indication as to when a patient needs suctioning if the patient is in a PRESSURE CONTROL mode. Some RTs will instruct this because they are used to Volume control modes. In Pressure Control we set the ventilator not to exceed a set pressure, so when secretions build up the ventilator produces smaller and smaller breaths before ever high pressure alarming. This can be very dangerous. There is no "magic" way to know when to suction you have to use your assessment skills and know your patient!

RT Tip Tuesday: A lukens trap (for sputum samples) can be used as a manual suction device in an emergency when the suction machine is dead or malfunctioning. Advance the catheter end into the trach and suck on the opposite end. Yucky stuff gets stuck in the trap so you don't suck it in. Keep one in your go bag, it could save a life!

Unicare Home Ventilator Program is pleased to welcome Unicare @ Loma Linda to the Unicare Family! Same great service in a neighborhood near you!

RT Tip Tuesday (late post) - Suction Machine filters are to protect the machine from moisture damage, NOT to protect the patient from bacteria. They only need to be replaced if they get wet and close. The machine does not direct flow to the patient and therefore is not a risk for infection. Reduce medical waste and save your filters. :)

RT Tip Tuesday - If you use an oxygen concentrator, do not use an extension cord to plug it into the electricity. Try not to use the electrical plug for the oxygen concentrator with any other appliances in the same outlet. This helps avoid a short circuit.

RT Tip Tuesday: TEST you backup batteries! Your DME company should be supplying you with a minimum of 8 hours of backup power via internal/external/accessory batteries. They may be in a garage or closet unused and when you need them they can be discharged or dead. We recommend running them completely out and recharging at least every 6 months to ensure they work and you know exactly how long they are lasting...