Bringing a senior home after a hospital stay can be a big adjustment, sometimes even marking a transition point in family roles and responsibilities. Fortunately, planning ahead can help ease the transition for everyone. Here are a few points to consider when transitioning from the hospital back home.
1. Make it easy to keep track of medications.
Whether or not a senior was taking medications before a hospital stay, there will likely be even more medications to manage after returning home. A pill organizer is an essential tool for dividing medications by time of day and day of the week. Some families find it helpful to use colored tape or markers to differentiate pill bottles that look similar. This can help prevent seniors from accidentally taking pills from the same bottles twice. Another important strategy is to create a chart outlining which pills to take at different times throughout the day.
2. Focus on communication.
Transitioning home from the hospital often means changing roles and responsibilities among family members. Depending on the reasons for a senior’s hospital stay, she might be returning with physical or cognitive abilities that have markedly changed. For these reasons, it’s essential to establish clear communication. This can include holding regular meetings with family members, caretakers, healthcare professionals, and any other parties involved, in order to make sure that medical directives are clear, responsibilities have been established, and that the senior family member knows that she can express herself and be heard.
3. Plan for the next steps.
Once everyone has settled into the new routine, it’s a good time to think about future care. Even if you’re still able to maintain your normal activities after bringing your senior loved one home from the hospital, it’s essential to plan ahead for a time when caregiving may become more difficult to manage.
Research the options available to you in your area. Typically, home-care services, nursing homes, and adult daycare centers meet most seniors’ needs. Knowing your options will give you the peace of mind to know whom to contact if you eventually need help with caregiving responsibilities.
4. Evaluate whether home care is the right choice for your family.
Since seniors may not be able to care for themselves independently after returning from the hospital, a senior’s care needs may become too much to manage without professional help.
For many, in-home caregiving is the next step that makes the most sense. Some families find that home care is the best option immediately after a senior’s hospital stay. For others, it makes more sense to ease into home care. The decision of when to time home care usually depends on factors like how many family members live close enough to help and how much time is available to invest in daily care.
In-home caregiving can alleviate the increased stress following a hospital stay by ensuring that seniors receive professional care. One of the main benefits of in-home caregiving is that seniors are able to receive the help they need while remaining in a familiar environment.
5. Make safety accommodations.
Seniors may find themselves dealing with decreased mobility after returning from the hospital, which is why it’s essential to consider making safety accommodations in a senior’s living space. Is it safe for her to get in and out of the shower, the bed, or a favorite chair? Do grab bars need to be installed for balance? Do ramps need to be installed for wheelchair or walker access? In addition to keeping seniors safe, these types of safety accommodations can often also help seniors function more independently.
6. Pay attention to mental health.
Finally, transitioning home after a hospital stay can influence a senior’s mental health. Dealing with illness, changes in physical or mental ability, potential medication side effects, and a possible sense of isolation can contribute to anxiety and depression. It’s important to watch out for changes in behavior such as lethargy, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, or social withdrawal, as these can all be signs of mental health problems. If you suspect that a senior may be having trouble psychologically adjusting after a hospital stay, it’s important to share your concerns with the senior’s doctor or therapist.
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