Seniors who are returning to their homes to recover after having a medical event, illness, or a fall often need extra help during the transition from hospital to home. Post-hospital care services are designed to fill in the gaps and give seniors the extra help they need until they are back up on their feet and fully independent again. But in addition to post-hospital care seniors will likely need family support too. Having the support of family members will help seniors recover much more quickly.
But when your senior parent is home after a hospital stay make sure that you avoid making these common mistakes when it comes to their care:
Letting Them Stay In Bed
Seniors who are recovering at home do need a lot of rest, so they may be in bed most of the time for a while. They may need to have a bed set up on the primary floor of the house to help them while they recover. But even though rest is important it’s also important for seniors to get up and get moving. Laying in bed for a long time will cause muscle atrophy and can cause problems with circulation. It may even lead to bed sores or bed rash. Seniors need to get up out of bed and walk around several times during the day to help their recovery.
Not Paying Attention To Their Diet
Another important part of recovery for seniors is nutrition. Eating healthy and including lots of vegetables that are packed with vitamins and minerals is important to help seniors have the strength they need for recovery. Care providers can help by preparing nutritious and delicious meals that have lots of vegetables and plenty of lean protein to help rebuild muscle. But you may need to do more frequent grocery runs to keep the house stocked with healthy food. You can so also do grocery deliveries for fresh items if you can’t make it to the store.
Putting Off Physical Therapy
Seniors will almost always need physical therapy after they have a hospital stay. Physical therapy will help them perform exercises designed to get them moving again safely. If your senior parent was in the hospital because they fell at home they will need physical therapy to help their injuries heal and get their mobility back. Physical therapy can be done at home if it’s still difficult for your senior parent to get out and get to a doctor’s office for physical therapy sessions.
Skipping Follow Up Doctor Visits
Seniors are going to need follow-up medical care and probably lots of tests so that their doctor can monitor their recovery. Make sure that your senior loved one isn’t skipping any of the visits that the doctor recommends and that they are following the directions of the doctor and the physical therapist. Seniors need to be committed to recovery and follow all the instructions they’re given, including showing up for medical appointments, in order to make a full recovery.
If you or a loved one are considering Post-Hospital Care Services in Squirrel Hill PA, please call and talk to the caring staff at Extended Family Care of Pittsburgh at (412) 693-6009. We will answer all of your questions.
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