Post Hospital Care in Pittsford, NY, and our neighboring communities
Bridging the gap between the hospital and the home
Getting the news that your elderly loved one will soon be released from the hospital is an excellent reason to celebrate. But before you do, you must prepare yourself for the work ahead.
It Takes a Village
They say it takes a village to care for a person, but in this case, it takes a team comprised of you, your loved one, your family, and their medical care team to create a transitional in-home services program for your loved one.
Keep In Mind the Incidences of Readmission Are High in the US
- One in five seniors will be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days.
- 25% of seniors discharged to nursing homes have a higher risk of readmission within 30 days.
- The cost of readmission to the U.S. healthcare system is over $17 billion, not including those from urgent-care facilities and emergency rooms.
- 75% of these readmissions can be prevented.
With our wide variety of services, your loved ones can receive a few hours of companionship daily to around-the-clock personal care. No matter what they require, we promise that each visit from our trusted caregivers – we call Comfort Keepers® - will be meaningful.
Post Hospital Care Is Hard Work
Even after you have created an in-home services plan for your loved one when they come home, there is still much hard work ahead of you and so much to learn. The sooner you figure this out, the better off you will be, something many family caregivers fail to consider. The good news is that Comfort Keepers can provide you with a skilled caregiver to help share the load.
Our Caregivers Are In Your Home to Help
Our caregivers can help you develop a working plan. Once this is done, they are ready to dig in beside you and get the work done. Our caregivers can help with the following:
- Transportation to appointments and taking care of numerous errands.
- Continuous health monitoring and communication between the family, doctors, rehabilitation specialists, etc.
- Companionship and emotional support throughout their recovery journey
- Homemaking services (decluttering, light house cleaning, laundry, dishes, meal planning & cooking, etc.)
- Personal care services including bathing, grooming, mobility assistance, incontinence support, etc.)
Readmission Rates During the Early Stages of Recovery
Statistically speaking, the readmission rate among seniors following a stay in the hospital during the first 180 days at home is still too high despite the latest concepts in creating a program. This being said, the numbers are significantly lower than in years past.
Among the most common reasons behind readmission are:
- Medications – concerning the taking of new medication that causes adverse side effects and those who do not take their medication as instructed, resulting in adverse side effects.
- Secondary Diagnoses – covering those patients who develop a medical condition or display severe symptoms not seen during hospitalization.
- Limited Access to Appropriate Post Hospital Care – covering those with limited transportation to their appointments, picking up needed medications, and having the daily support they need.
- Lack of Education by Medical Team – covers those who did not receive the proper post-hospital care education by the patient's medical care team before they came home.
- Severity and Type of Medical Condition – covering those in the late stages of a medical condition or suffering from a chronic condition such as heart disease or Alzheimer's.
The More Detailed the Records You Keep, the Better
Once your loved one has been discharged and returned home, it is up to you to create a way to keep accurate records as part of their transitional in-home services program. You need to record information such as vital signs, what medications were given, when any changes in your loved one's overall condition, and anything else you notice. This information could become very important if you need to contact their doctor. Your records should include:
- A list of appointments, what was discussed, and what, if anything, was done.
- Contact information, including caregivers and emergency contacts.
- A schedule that includes all family caregivers, when they will be there, and what they need to do.
- A record of all medications, when they need to be taken, and the correct dosage.
Creating a Safe Home Environment for Your Loved One
Another major part of your loved one's program is making sure they have a safe and healthy home environment to come home to. Among the steps you should take are:
- Be sure furniture is arranged to make room for any mobility equipment.
- Create a post-hospital care plan schedule that lets your loved ones know who will be with them and when.
- Install any needed safety equipment.
- Be sure the house is clean and disinfected, eliminating allergens and bacteria.
- Place items that are used daily within easy reach.
- Introduce your loved one to their transitional home care provider before they are discharged.
Not Sure What Care You Need?
To learn more about creating a transition in-home services plan for your loved one and discuss the services our caregivers offer, contact us online at Comfort Keepers of Pittsford, NY at (585) 249-0100. Our agents can answer many of your questions and schedule your free care consultation with one of our senior advisors to discuss your loved one's needs.
