Home health aides make the transition from hospital to home seamless.
Following a surgical procedure or hospital stay, the words we look forward to hearing most are, “Here are your discharge papers – you’re able to head home now!” What a feeling of relief there is in entering the front door, sinking into a favorite chair, and unwinding.
Nonetheless, there are often quite a few tasks required for proper healing and recovery and to prevent a re-hospitalization. For older adults who live alone, and also for individuals with family support, it can be intimidating to sort through the various post-hospitalization guidelines, pick up prescriptions, make follow-up appointments, adapt to any needed dietary or lifestyle changes, and much more.
This is where a professional home care agency, like Inspired Home Care, providers of trusted Algonquin area caregivers, is essential. Our transitional care can start even before discharge to ensure every important detail will be addressed. Working together with the hospital’s care team, our home health aides are able to develop and implement a recovery plan to include:
- Scheduling follow-up appointments
- Preparing a list of medications, together with any allergies and/or dietary restrictions
- Ensuring the fridge and pantry are stocked with healthy foods
- Establishing physical activity routines
- Arranging for any required medical equipment to be brought to the house
- Outlining any potential side effects and medical issues
After discharge, we can:
- Provide safe transportation home from the hospital (and to any follow-up medical appointments or procedures)
- Pick up any prescriptions and ensure they are taken just as prescribed
- Plan and prepare meals
- Assist with showers, getting dressed, utilizing the toilet, etc.
- Offer companionship for conversations, puzzles, card games, as well as other enjoyable activities
- Watch for and report any changes in condition or potential medication side effects
- Take care of light household chores and laundry
- Provide support with walking to avoid falls
- Connect the senior with other local helpful resources
- And a whole lot more
By making use of the highly skilled Algonquin caregivers at Inspired Home Care, older adults can reduce the stress that is frequently connected with a hospitalization and focus on obtaining the rest needed to recover. Not only that, but our services allow older adults to avoid a stay in a rehab facility in order to recover where they are most comfortable: in the home.
If a senior you love is facing a planned surgery, contact us. We will be happy to come visit the older adult at home and begin to develop a plan to ensure a smooth transition home again. We can also perform a home safety assessment and provide ideas for any changes needed to prevent falls – a common and unsafe occurrence after a hospitalization.
Contact Inspired Home Care’s Algonquin caregivers for help and support any time at 847-787-7572. We’re here for you, before, during, and after a hospital stay. To learn more about our top-rated home care services and each of the communities we serve, please visit our Locations Served page.