Tips On Bringing Seniors Home From The Hospital

Being discharged from the hospital is a relief for seniors and their families, but it can also be a stressful time because of the challenges associated with recovering at home. It’s a difficult time for patients because while they no longer require hospital-level care, they are still not fully recovered. It’s also a difficult time for family members because the burden of continuing care for their loved one has now become their responsibility.
In prior years, it was common practice for seniors to transition from the hospital to a skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility before returning home. This is often no longer the case unless the patient requires a higher level of specialized care. Health care insurers and doctors are opting to send patients home as soon as possible because of concerns over rising medical care costs.
The Need For Post-Hospital Care Is Rising
The responsibility of ensuring care for a loved one at home is affecting more and more families. Nationwide, it is estimated that 53 million Americans are caring for an older adult, an increase of almost 10 million over a five-year period. The percentage of seniors requiring help to recover at home rose from 38% to 51% in just the last decade.
Depending upon the nature of the hospitalization, the length to time required for home care recovery can vary from a few days to several weeks, months or even longer. The transition from hospital to home care can be a critical time for seniors because mistakes or oversights in the type and quality of care they receive can have serious health consequences. Recent studies report that 40% of patients over 65 had medication errors and 18% of those discharged from hospitals were readmitted within 30 days.
Make Home Recovery A Better Experience
Despite all the challenges, home can be a wonderful place to get well if patients and their families are prepared for what’s comes next following the discharge. Here is a handy checklist that can help make the transition from hospital to home care easier for your loved one:
• Ask your health care provider and insurers if you qualify for professional home care. Family members may have the best intentions, but a critical part of recovery is following the doctor’s orders seriously all the time. Having the help and support of in-home nurses and home care providers familiar with following doctor directions will minimize risks and maximize recovery time.
• Participate in the discharge planning process. What this involves is a collaboration between hospital staff, the patient, family members and other professional care providers to ensure that all post-discharge directions are understood and followed.
• Make coming home safe and comfortable. When an elder comes home from the hospital, it can be difficult and even impossible to perform simple tasks such as cooking, cleaning, eating, bathing and other like daily living activities. This is something family members can readily assist with or designate to professional home care providers.
• Monitor and encourage physical therapy. Doctors routinely prescribe physical therapy for seniors to help them rebuild their muscles, maintain their balance, and regain range of motion in their extremities. In-home physical therapists may visit two or three times a week, but many seniors are reluctant to perform their daily exercises as directed when they are home alone. This is why it is important for family members to encourage their elder loved ones to follow prescribed physical therapy regimens.
• Understand medication schedules. Overdosing, underdosing or forgetting to take medications are common problems associated with home care that can have serious health implications. Make sure that everyone involved in caring for your elder loved one understands the medication schedule with absolute clarity. It is also advisable that a phone number be handy with a person’s name to call for assistance if a question arises or a mistake happens.
• Visit your loved one often. Recovery can be a difficult, lengthy struggle for many older adults. Being alone for too long can lead to feelings of depression and social isolation which can inhibit their healing process. If family members share the responsibility of spending time with your loved one, no one member is burdened unfairly. Also, invite friends and neighbors to stop by and socialize. The more time your loved one spends with people they know and enjoy being with, the faster they will move along on their road to recovery.
Making the transition from hospital to home care can be challenging, but there is no question the best place to get well is where your loved ones feel the most safe and comfortable.