Home Care Service in Sharjah

What is a home care service?

A home care service is planned medical care delivered in your own home by certified nurses and physicians, in place of a trip to a clinic. The home care service at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah covers the whole of Sharjah and handles the steady, scheduled side of medicine: nursing care, injections, wound dressings, check-ups for elderly or housebound patients, and support in the days and weeks after a hospital stay.

Home care is built for predictable needs. A dressing that needs changing every few days, a course of injections, a regular review of blood pressure and medicines for a parent who finds the stairs hard: each of these is simpler and calmer at home. Sudden, severe or frightening symptoms belong in the emergency department, which is open around the clock for exactly that purpose.

A detail many families find useful: home care is often arranged before discharge. When a patient is leaving hospital with a wound, a drain site or a course of treatment still running, the visits can be planned in advance so the first one falls on the right day.

Who needs it

Home care suits people for whom a clinic visit is difficult, tiring or disruptive, and whose care follows a known plan. Typical reasons include:

• An older parent who is frail, housebound or unsteady on their feet
• Recovery after an operation or a hospital admission, when travelling is still uncomfortable
• A wound, ulcer or surgical incision that needs regular cleaning and dressing, as described on the wound dressing page
• A prescribed course of injections given at set times
• A long-term condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure that benefits from regular checks, linked to chronic disease follow-up
• Carers who want a professional to review how a relative is managing at home

Many families in Sharjah care for grandparents at home, and home care supports that arrangement. Older patients with several conditions often benefit from a combined plan with the geriatric medicine service, so the home visits and clinic reviews fit together.

What happens

The service starts with a call to Dar Al Kamal Hospital on 06 599 7777. The team asks about the patient, the reason for the visit, any recent hospital letters and the address, then agrees a suitable time.

At the first visit, the nurse or physician introduces themselves, checks the patient's identity and reviews their history and current medicines. Vital signs are measured: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, breathing and, where relevant, blood sugar. The clinician then carries out the planned care, which may be a wound dressing, an injection, a physical check-up or a review of how recovery is going after discharge.

Before leaving, the clinician explains what was done, records it, and agrees the next step with the patient and family. That may be a further home visit, a clinic appointment, a test, or a change to the care plan discussed with the treating doctor. Family members are welcome to stay during the visit and ask questions.

Preparing for it

A little preparation helps each visit run smoothly:

• Keep the patient's Emirates ID and insurance card ready
• Gather hospital discharge letters, recent test results and prescriptions in one folder
• Place all current medicines, including over-the-counter products and supplements, in one bag so the nurse can check them
• Prepare a clean, well-lit space with a table or surface nearby for dressings and equipment
• Keep pets in another room during the visit
• Note any changes since the last visit: appetite, sleep, pain, confusion or falls

For injections or dressings, loose clothing that gives easy access to the area helps. During Ramadan, mention the fasting plan when booking so visit times and medicines can be arranged around it.

Afterwards

After a home visit, the patient continues with the plan agreed, whether that is keeping a dressing in place, taking medicines as prescribed or waiting for the next visit. Keep dressings clean and dry. In the Sharjah summer, keep the room cool and encourage regular drinks of water, because heat and sweating slow wound healing and dehydrate older people quickly.

Keep the written notes from each visit in the same folder, so every clinician can see what has already been done.

Contact the hospital if a wound becomes redder, more swollen, more painful or starts to leak, if a fever develops, or if the patient becomes more confused or drowsy than usual. **Go to the emergency department straight away for chest pain, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness on one side, slurred speech, heavy bleeding, a fall with a head injury, or collapse.**

Cost and insurance

Insurance cover for home care varies widely between UAE plans. Some policies cover nursing visits after discharge when the treating doctor documents the medical need, and these usually require pre-approval. Routine visits for convenience, long-term nursing and elderly companionship care are common exclusions and are often self-paid. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you check what your plan covers and start any approval before the first visit on 06 599 7777.