Why Seniors Need To Say Yes To Post-Hospital Home Care Assistance
Recovering from a hospital stay takes time—and the older the patient is, the longer it can take them to get back to normal. It may be a relief to go home, but there's no nurse available to help them at the push of a button. During the recovery period, a relative or spouse might not be available to provide support. And if they are, they may not be able to offer the level of care to best help the senior.
Without post-discharge home care, 20% of seniors end up back in hospital within 30 days (NCIB)
It's not easy to rely on other people, especially when someone was fiercely independent before going into the hospital. 13 million seniors are hospitalized every year in the US, and over a third of discharges are 65+. Almost 20% of seniors are back in the hospital within 30 days of being discharged. One study found that without home care assistance following a hospital stay, older adults' odds of being readmitted within 30 or 60 days doubled.Yet some seniors still refuse post-hospital care, overestimating their strength and believing they'll quickly regain independence. They're actually putting themselves at risk of a "difficult, incomplete or slower-than-anticipated recovery".In fact, some people have more issues following hospitalization than they did before. Of those seniors who end up back in the hospital, the reason is often unrelated to the issue that admitted them in the first place. With a potentially compromised immune system, sleep deprivation, new medications, high stress and other complex developments, life immediately after discharge should be treated differently, even if it's temporary. A home care professional can recognize warning signs or symptoms of other health issues that a family member may not.
A home care professional can help with basic daily tasks during the healing process
Getting help at home shouldn't be a squander to someone's dignity. It's not about creating a hospital environment; it's simply basic daily support to make sure the person is safe and comfortable. At Nurse Next Door, we help seniors post-discharge with cleaning, cooking, bathing, administering medication, monitoring their health, and other tasks.Post-hospital care can be a temporary or long-term solution for preventing falls, which are responsible for up to 15% of rehospitalizations in the first month post-discharge. Home care assistance can greatly reduce risk for seniors--even if they don't feel vulnerable.Look at post-hospital care as a positive thing; it can help a senior get back to their usual lifestyle more quickly, prevent complications, and provide a little support that can seriously go a long way.
