Your elderly loved one has just had a long hospital stay and is finally ready to come home. She’s excited to be able to sleep in her bed, watch the birds out her window, and enjoy visits from her loved ones. But oftentimes, returning home after an extended hospital stay can have a few speed bumps on the road to complete recovery. Having a professional post-hospital care provider help your loved one readjust to being at home can help her maneuver around those potholes in the road.
Here are four key areas that she might need help with.
Exercise
Getting around and moving is an important part of your loved one’s recovery. Your loved one’s doctor has most likely given very specific guidelines as to how much exercise she should do and possibly which forms of exercise she should avoid. A trained post hospital care provider can help your loved one stay motivated to do her exercises as well as help make sure she doesn’t overdo it and cause more harm than good. They can also make sure her environment has any needed adjustments to make sure she can use all areas safely, such as adding grab bars in the bathroom or providing help with laundry.
Transportation
Many times after a surgery or long hospital stay, there will be multiple doctor appointments that need to be attended to help her heal. There could be return visits to the hospital or weekly visits to a physical therapist but your loved one may not be willing or able to drive herself at this point. While you can help with rides, if you have other daytime responsibilities or work during doctor’s hours, having a post-hospital care provider help with transportation during the day so that you can relax knowing your loved one isn’t driving.
Medication
When returning home from a long hospital stay, many patients have several medications that they need to take to help them continue their recovery. Multiple pills that need to be taken differently can cause some confusion and may make your loved one not want to take them at all. Or she may take the wrong dosage. A post hospital care provider can help with medication management and assist in making sure your loved one is clear about what she should take and when.
Healthy Eating
Seniors often don’t get the same hunger pangs as younger individuals do and miss the cues their body gives them that they need to eat. Eating well and consuming enough calories is an important part of the healing process. Making sure your loved one not only has the sustenance she needs to recover but also eats it, will help her heal more quickly and with fewer complications.
Having these four key areas covered with the proper resources and assistance will help your loved one get back to normal quickly without developing other problems along the way.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering in home care in Burnsville, MN please contact the caring staff at Great Oak Senior Care, Inc. today. (952) 767-4925
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