Measuring the wound
Size and depth go into the visit notes, so the next nurse can see whether it is shrinking.
Private home care · Winnipeg
Wound Care at Home in Winnipeg
A Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) comes to the house to change dressings, check how an incision is healing and take out stitches or staples.
Health Care Aides (HCAs) help prevent pressure injuries, also called bedsores, between appointments, and our nursing team answers calls 24/7.
Free in-home assessment. No obligation.
How It Works
Dressing Changes and Healing Checks
Integracare nurses look after surgical incisions, pressure injuries and other wounds that need regular attention. Before treatment starts, an RN comes to the home, meets the person, examines the site and writes the care plan. That plan sets how often a nurse returns and what each visit covers, and the RN keeps oversight of it as healing progresses.
Our Winnipeg RNs are registered with the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM), and our LPNs with the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba (CLPNM).
Integracare clients, their relatives and our HCAs can reach nursing support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a question about the plan or a dressing that has slipped.
Talk through your optionsAt Each Appointment
What the Nurse Does
The care plan names which of these steps belong to each visit.
Looking at the surrounding skin
The edges and the area nearby get checked too, and any change is written down.
A clean dressing change
Hands washed, gloves on and clean or sterile technique, whichever the wound and the orders call for, with the product the plan specifies.
Stitches and staples out
Sutures or surgical clips are removed at home once the incision is ready.
Watching for infection
At every visit the nurse looks for the warning signs in the next section.
Teaching for the days between
Relatives and the HCA learn what to look for and when to phone us.
Between Visits
Signs of Infection to Report
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) gives this list to people going home after surgery. If any of these develop, WRHA advises contacting the surgeon or physician immediately. Let our nurse know as well.
Redness, swelling or warmth
The red area keeps growing, or the incision swells or feels hot to the touch.
Pain or a bad smell
Tenderness or soreness, or an odour from under the dressing.
Drainage
Pus-like discharge, or fluid that seeps out in a different amount or colour.
Fever or high blood sugar
WRHA lists both as symptoms to report.
An incision that starts to open
Stitches or staples that come out early, or an incision that starts to open, go to our nurse right away, and the nurse contacts the surgeon.
Health Care Aides
How Aides Help Stop Pressure Injuries
Pressure injuries are a worry for anyone who spends long hours in bed or a wheelchair. Our Health Care Aides do much of the daily work that helps prevent them.
HCA is the Manitoba title for a caregiver who helps with washing, getting dressed, meals and moving around. HCAs work under a nurse's supervision, and on a wound plan the RN lists their tasks. These can include helping the person shift position on a set schedule, cushioning the spots the nurse has flagged, and keeping skin clean and dry after bathing or using the toilet.
During personal care, aides check the skin and tell the nurse about any red or tender patch that day. The nurse then decides whether the plan should change.
Common Reasons for Care
Types of Wounds on Our Care Plans
Incisions from an operation
Grace Hospital performs more than 11,000 surgical procedures a year, and Concordia Hospital specializes in joint replacement, with its own Hip and Knee Institute. Once the patient is home, our nurse can take over the dressing changes.
Pressure injuries
The nurse treats any sore that has already formed, and the plan adds HCA time to help stop new ones.
Wounds slow to heal
Sores on the legs or feet that stay open, including those linked to diabetes, get a plan the nurse reviews as they change.
Manitoba Home Care
Private Visits and WRHA Home Care Nursing
In Winnipeg, public home care comes from the WRHA. Integracare is independent of it, and families book our visits directly.
Wound care in the public program
A 2013 WRHA guide for health professionals lists wound care among Home Care nursing services, usually on the order of a physician or nurse practitioner. Each service has its own eligibility criteria.
After an operation
A WRHA Home Care nurse teaches the person or a family caregiver to change dressings where they can, and provides nursing visits for eligible clients. Integracare can add visits, or take on dressings when public visits don't fit your schedule.
A backup plan
The client and family must have one ready and use it when needed, Manitoba's home care guide says. Private nursing visits can fill that role.
Provincial Policy
Where the Materials Come From
Manitoba's provincial home care policy counts wound and dressing supplies among the items that support a client's care plan. They go only to people who meet the program's eligibility rules, based on priority of need and available resources.
For private visits, the RN works out at the assessment which dressings the plan calls for and checks what is already in the house. Integracare's related services can include wound care supplies.
Before the Assessment
Paperwork and Supplies to Gather
With these on hand, the RN can write the plan at the first visit.
Written wound instructions
Anything from the hospital, surgeon or family doctor about the dressing and how often to change it.
Dressings already at home
Pads and tape the hospital sent along, or ones bought at a pharmacy.
Key dates
When stitches or staples are due out, and the next appointment with the surgeon or clinic.
Manitoba health number
The person's Personal Health Identification Number (PHIN), for the care record.
Others involved
Contact details for any WRHA case coordinator, family doctor or nurse practitioner already on the case.
Have a Nurse Ready for the First Day Home
Call us or send a request. An RN will visit, look at the wound and set up a plan with you.
Local Resources
Other Wound Care Help in Winnipeg
Other organizations run these services. Each sets its own rules, and Integracare is separate from all of them.
Health Links – Info Santé is Manitoba's bilingual 24/7 health line, where Registered Nurses assess symptoms by phone and give advice. Call (204) 788-8200, or 1 (888) 315-9257 toll-free from anywhere in the province. Integracare clients can also call our nurse line at any hour.
For concerns that need prompt attention but are not life-threatening, Seven Oaks General Hospital, Victoria Hospital and Concordia Hospital run urgent care centres around the clock. WRHA notes they are not equivalent to an emergency department. Winnipeg's 3 full emergency departments are at Grace Hospital, Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital.
Questions & Answers
Common Questions About Wound Care in Winnipeg
Does Manitoba Health cover private wound care?
No. Manitoba Health does not insure private nursing, so families pay for our visits themselves.
Can private visits be added to WRHA Home Care nursing?
Yes. Families book Integracare directly. Tell the WRHA case coordinator and our nurse about both schedules so no dressing change is doubled or missed.
How often will a nurse come?
The RN sets the schedule in the care plan after examining the wound, then reviews it as healing moves along.
How can relatives keep track of healing?
Through the Family Room, Integracare's online portal. Invited family members see the visit schedule and caregiver notes as they are recorded.
How do we get started?
Call (204) 977-7575 or use the form below. Our intake team replies within one business day to book the RN's assessment. If the person is still in hospital, call before the discharge date. Winnipeg hospitals begin discharge planning soon after admission.
Other Services
More Care in Winnipeg
Home Care in Winnipeg
Nursing Care in Winnipeg
Health Care Aides in Winnipeg
Palliative Care in Winnipeg
Stroke Care in Winnipeg
24-Hour Home Care in Winnipeg
We also provide wound care in Greater Toronto and wound care in Ottawa.
Free In-Home Assessment
Book a Wound Care Assessment in Winnipeg
Tell us about the wound and any recent surgery, and our team will reply within one business day to arrange the RN's visit.
Prefer to talk?
Winnipeg(204) 977-7575 ↗Toll-free1 (800) 891-4197 ↗We serve families across Greater Winnipeg. See the areas we cover
Clinically reviewed by Bethel McMaster, BScN, RN ·