What to Expect With Post-Hospital Care
If your senior parent has recently been in the hospital because they had a medical event like a fall, a heart attack, or a stroke, but now they are ready to come home you may need to change some things to make sure they are comfortable while they continue to heal. It’s common for seniors to continue needing rest and time to fully heal before they resume all of their normal activities. Just because the hospital has released them doesn’t mean they don’t need any additional care. Post-hospital care for seniors is designed to provide that extra bit of one-on-one care that seniors may need while they finish their recovery.
When your senior home comes home from the hospital you can expect them to need things like:
Help With Hygiene
Your senior parent wouldn’t have been released from the hospital if they weren’t on the mend, but they are probably going to need help with things like getting to and from the bathroom, brushing their teeth, washing up, showering, and getting dressed and undressed for at least a short period of time after they get home. Post-hospital care often includes helping seniors get used to taking care of themselves again.
Help With Meals
Your senior parent also is most likely not going to be able to cook their own meals. Home care can help by cooking meals, shopping for food, and cleaning up after meals. Even though it will be good for your senior loved one to get up for meals as often as they can, having home care will ensure that seniors are getting tasty and nutritious meals so that they can get their strength back after their medical event.
Daily Exercise And Movement
Even if your senior parent was only in the hospital for a short period of time they are going to need assistance and encouragement to get up and spend part of each day moving around. Most doctors will recommend physical therapy and as much movement as your senior loved one can comfortably do so that they can regain their mobility. At the very least your senior loved one should be standing up and walking around for periods during the day if they can to get their blood flowing and improve their circulation.
Help Around The House
It also may be a long time before your senior loved one is able to clean the house, do laundry, or take on other household tasks that have to be done to make sure the house is tidy and clean. Home care can help with that too. When seniors have a caregiver that caregiver can do light housework and laundry to make sure that your senior parent has clean clothes and pajamas and clean and sanitized sheets and bedding. A care provider can also help your senior parent manage their medications and get refills or new prescriptions for them. With extra home care your senior parent will be up and back to their usual routine quickly.
If you or an aging loved one are considering post-hospital care in Glenview, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.
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