After a hospital stay, seniors may be extremely excited about heading home finally, even if they’ve only been in the hospital for a few days. But there might also be some aspects of coming home that are overwhelming when families start to really consider that reality. Hospital to home transition care offers multiple layers of support that allow seniors and family caregivers to manage recovery and avoid rehospitalizations.
Hospital to Home Transition Care Defined
Hospital to home transition care experts understand how confusing and difficult it can be to adapt to life at home after a hospitalization. Transition care experts help with hospital discharge planning, and plans for managing medications, and ensure that patients and family caregivers understand what follow-up appointments are necessary. They can also help families find additional information about new health issues, symptoms, and ongoing treatments.
Why Is This Type of Care Important?
Spending time in the hospital can be exhausting and even a bit scary. As much as seniors want to come home, leaving the hospital and the care and support they have there can be equally frightening. Hospital to home transition care reduces the chances that seniors will experience negative outcomes like complications, slow recovery, or readmission to the hospital.
Hospital to Home Transition Care is Not Home Care
Some families might mistake transition care for home care services, but they’re very different types of assistance. Home care helps seniors with activities of daily living, personal care tasks, and other types of hands-on help. They might help to prepare meals for seniors, assist with errands, and simply offer companionship to help seniors avoid feeling alone and lonely. Hospital to home transition care can help families to find home care assistance when they need it, but they don’t handle those types of tasks themselves.
Preparing for Coming Home from the Hospital
Transition care experts help families think about the process of returning home before the senior is discharged from the hospital. They help families understand recovery needs and instructions related to follow-up care. Families may also need help preparing the home environment. Safety modifications and necessary medical equipment need to be in place before seniors return home.
Services Seniors and Families May Need
Depending on the challenges that seniors are facing, they may need a variety of different services as they recover. Skilled nursing care, physical therapy, and occupational therapy are just a few of the types of specialists who can help seniors recover at home. Hospital to home transition care can help to coordinate care, ensuring that everyone is on the same page while seniors heal in comfort.
Hospital to home transition care allows patients to work with experts who understand the challenges they’re about to experience as they come home after a hospitalization. Paying attention to this delicate transition can mean that seniors recover well at home, with all of the support and assistance that they need. They experience less stress while recovering, reduce complications, and potentially avoid having to go back to the hospital for a related issue.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Hospital to Home Care in Southbury, CT, please contact the caring staff at Elderly Caregivers LLC. today at (203) 628-7438
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