Long-Term Nursing Clinic, haigla (0)

Long- Term Nursing Clinic
There are four departments in Long-Term Nursing Clinic: Departments of Geriatrics, I Long-Term Nursing Department , II Long-Term Nursing Department and Department of Patient without Medical Insurance . The head of Long-Term Nursing Clinic is Jüri Ennet, the head of Long-Term Nursing Centre is Raivo Kolle and the head nurse of Clinic is Silvia Petrova.
Offering long-term nursing care in Estonia is becoming increasingly more important due to the aging of the population.
 
More attention is being paid to how patients cope and this requires close cooperation and communication between the patient, their next of kin, hospitals and national social welfare .
 
The structural change that occurred in the East Tallinn Central Hospital (ETCH) in 2006, according to which medical rehabilitation was separated from the current comprehensive clinic, was the biggest change for departments engaged in long-term nursing. In addition to the long-term nursing centre at Järve, the Department of Patients without Medical Insurance is also part of the Clinic.
 
The Long-Term Nursing Centre has 90 beds divided into three inpatient departments. One of these is the Geriatric Department and the other two are nursing care departments. Patients often arrive in the Long-Term Nursing Clinic after active treatment, because they need care, stabilisation and support before returning home. The Geriatric Department cares for patients mostly over 65 years of age. People of this age may be left with permanent problems caused by illness and total recovery may not be possible. The Long-Term Nursing Clinic tries to alleviate the discomfort of such patients and find ways in which they could cope.
 
Nursing, which is highly valued in the whole of the East Tallinn Central Hospital, is very important in the Long-Term Nursing Clinic. Patients who are in a stable health and functional condition and depend on others in their everyday activities constantly need nursing care, regular medical checks and adjustment of treatment. Nursing care is given to patients on the basis of individual nursing plans, which have been prepared on the basis of the patient’s needs .
 
In 2006, nurses of the Clinic started offering home nursing care services . About ten nurses from the East Tallinn Central Hospital visit patients in their homes after the end of inpatient treatment. This guarantees the continuity of the treatment started in the hospital and of nursing care. The service is aimed at those whose condition allows them to cope at home on their own or with the support of their families , but the patient is suffering from problems that require regular nursing care. In such cases , home nursing care is the best solution to helping the patient cope and recover. Home nursing care is mainly about teaching the patient and their next of kin and performing nursing procedures.
 
In the last two years, the Long-Term Nursing Clinic of the ETCH has been offering geriatric assessment . This is assessment of a patient’s condition considering their health, how they are coping , how they manage with their everyday activities, etc. An individual care plan is prepared for the patient of the basis of the results of such an assessment. If a patient who needs care does not have the support of a family, they will be offered help in finding a nursing home or given nursing care. A geriatrics team has been created for these assessments and this team consists of a doctor, a nurse and a social worker.
 
The East Tallinn Central Hospital does currently not have a hospice, but the need for one is there. Due to its specific features, the number of deaths in the Long-Term Nursing Clinic is high, which should not be regarded in a purely negative light. “ Death is as natural as birth and we should be paying more attention to it,” says Dr. Raivo Kolle, Head of the Long-Term Nursing Centre. Coping with death is a highly personal experience; a medical institution can only offer support and the best possible conditions . The Long-Term Nursing Clinic of the East Tallinn Central Hospital has a terminal and a mourning room. A very important part in this is played by the grief counsellor, who helps patients and their next of kin find peace when the time is right.
In 2008:

1900 patients were hospitalised in long-term nursing care departments and
300 geriatric evaluations were carried out
589 cases of home nursing
In the inpatient of the Department of Patients without Medical Insurance
223 patients were treated and there were
2130 outpatients
Department of Patient without Medical Insurance (34 Magasini Street )
Long-Term Nursing Clinic (8 Energia Street)