While he was going down the stairs to his garage, your dad fell and hit his head and broke his collarbone. He’s coming home, but you want to make sure he has the support he needs during his recovery. His surgeon recommends home health care services, but you’re not sure what that covers.
Wellness Checks by Home Health Care Aides
After a blow to the head, monitoring your dad for signs of a concussion is important. A nurse can check him every few hours and make sure he’s alert, feeling okay, and not showing signs of damage to the brain.
His nurse can also check his blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. His temperature is a good way to gauge whether there’s a possible infection setting in on any of his cuts and scrapes.
Medication Administration
Your dad’s head and collarbone hurt a lot, but he has to be careful about the timing of his pain medications. Instead of hoping he keeps track of it on his own, nurses can track the doses and provide him with the right medication when it’s time.
If any of his medications are administered through an IV line, his nurse can take care of that. Nurses can insert the catheter, administer any medications or infusions, and remove the IV when it’s time.
Physical Therapy
Your dad’s collarbone fracture is going to take time to heal. He’ll wear a sling for a while, and when it’s okay, he’ll work with a physical therapist to improve the range of motion in his shoulder.
Through physical therapy sessions, your dad will also work on improving his balance. This is important as it can keep him from falling again. Statistically, seniors who fall once are twice as likely to fall again. You want to keep that from happening.
Instead of bringing him to his physical therapist and trying to get him in and out of your car, he can have the physical therapist come to him. As he regains strength and can get in and out of a car on his own, he can switch and go to the therapist’s office if needed.
Wound Care
If your dad’s fall left him with any cuts or scrapes, he may need help keeping them bandaged. Stitches must be cared for to ensure they don’t pull out and allow the wound to reopen. A home health care nurse will check his wounds to ensure they’re healing correctly and alert his doctor if there are problems.
Talk to your dad’s medical team before he leaves the hospital to learn what care needs he has for the next days, weeks, and months. If he’s had surgery or hit his head, home health care services protect him from re-hospitalization. Talk to a home health care agency to learn more about services and availability.
Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html#
If you are considering hiring Home Health Care Services in Lexington OH, call the caring staff at Central Star Home Health at (419) 610-2161.
Providing services for families in Mansfield, Lexington, Bellville, Crestline, Galion, Shelby, Ashland, Ontario, Bucyrus, Mt. Vernon, Marion, Willard, and the surrounding areas.
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