Any time that seniors are returning home from the hospital, they are entering an important part of recovery from whatever sent them to the hospital in the first place. Safety is the biggest factor in a successful return home. With the help of services like hospital to home transition care, families and seniors feel more comfortable when seniors are ready to come home from the hospital.
Decode the Discharge Instructions
Discharge instructions are the key to starting on the right foot when seniors come home from the hospital. These are instructions from the hospital that involve the senior’s care needs and any details they need to be aware of as they recover. Hospital to home transition care helps to translate these instructions so that family caregivers have the information they need from the start.
Preparing the Home for Recovery
Some seniors need some changes at home before they can be safe while they recover. Clearing pathways, removing obstacles, and reviewing the home for tripping hazards are part of the answer. It may also be necessary to consider installing safety devices like grab bars in key areas. If seniors need any medical equipment, it’s important to get that on the way.
Managing Medications
Medication management is another area of concern for seniors. When they come home from the hospital, seniors may be taking a lot of medications that are new for them. Keeping up with all of those details isn’t easy to do, and hospital to home transition care can put solutions in place that help.
Attend Follow-up Appointments
Follow-up appointments are a huge part of the recovery process, too. Seniors who are recovering from a hospital stay may not find that to be easy to do, however. Some appointments might be easy enough to manage through telehealth or at-home services. If transportation is the problem, hospital to home transition care can help with sorting out those issues.
Maintain Good Nutritional Habits
Eating a balanced diet helps ensure that seniors’ bodies get what they need to heal properly. This also means drinking enough fluids. Hospital to home transition care can help make sure that seniors have the resources they need to eat properly and to adjust to new dietary changes if that’s something they have to work toward.
Stay Active within Safe Limits
Nobody expects that seniors are going to come home from a hospital stay and immediately jump back into their former routines, including routines around movement. The discharge instructions as well as updates from follow-up appointments should help seniors to understand what they need to know about staying active safely.
Putting safety at the forefront is a great way for family caregivers and seniors to make the most of recovery after a hospital stay. Hospital to home transition care can be there for seniors to make sure they have the tools and resources they need to recover as well as possible. Avoiding a return to the hospital and experiencing a full recovery is the goal and the right help goes a long way toward meeting that goal.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Hospital to Home Transition Services in Lexington OH, please get in touch with the caring staff at Central Star Home Health today. Call 419-756-9449
Central Star Home Health is a Trusted Home Care Agency in Ohio including Ashland, Bellville, Bucyrus, Crestline, Galion, Lexington, Mansfield, Marion, Mt. Vernon, Ontario, Shelby, and Willard.
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