Why You Should Consider Home Care after a Hospitalization

You and your aging adult might feel as if you’ve got everything well in hand when she’s discharged from the hospital. You might well be right, to a certain extent, but home care services can help your senior to avoid going back to the hospital.

Lowering the Risk of Readmission

Readmission means that your elderly family member has to go back to the hospital after having been discharged. The usual cause for readmission, particularly after a surgery, is infection in the surgical area. There are other reasons for readmission, though. Your elderly family member might have specific instructions to follow in terms of diet or activity levels and those might be a big factor in whether she has to go back to the hospital or not.

Handling Tasks that Could Be Overwhelming

While your elderly family member’s health is fragile, there are tasks for both of you that can be a bit overwhelming. Your senior may find that it’s difficult or impossible to shower, for instance, so having help taking a bath can be empowering for her. Home care providers can also help you to watch out for signs that your senior is not healing as well or as quickly as she probably should be so that you can talk to her doctor.

Companionship When You Can’t Be There

As much as you want to be, you probably are not going to be able to be there with your elderly family member every minute of every day. And if she’s confined to her bed or her mobility isn’t so great, she’s likely to have a difficult time on her own. Then you factor in the loneliness angle and it’s a recipe for going back to the hospital, possibly with new injuries. Home care providers can help you to avoid that problem.

Respite Care When You’re Putting in Double Duty

Part of the reason you might not be able to be there as often as you would like to be is because you have other obligations and responsibilities that require your time and energy. You also need to be able to take time away from everything else and devote it to just taking care of yourself. Home care providers give you the opportunity to take true respite time when you need it.

Home care providers can give both you and your aging family member a measure of security after she’s released from the hospital. When you’re able to lean into experienced help, you will be less likely to feel nervous or uncertain about this stage in your senior’s health scare. It’s easier to stay focused when you’re not scrambling for help.