Has your elderly parent recently had a brief hospital stay? Perhaps they are still hospitalized but have hopes of being discharged soon. While it may be possible for them to head home and get back to their routine, for others there will be a recovery period which may require assistance. With the proper plans and help in place, it can make the recovery slower and not as successful. So, what can you do to ensure that once they are discharged their road to recovery is smooth? Here are some of the ways you can help an elderly parent recover after a hospital stay.
Understand the Treatment and Recovery Plan
It’s impossible to help and get all necessary assistance in place if you’re not aware of the treatment and recovery plan. Whether it’s straightforward or involves many steps, it’s best to be part of the conversation with their doctor if possible. This allows you to ask questions and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Will They Be Staying with You?
Depending on your parent’s health and their recovery plan, you may wish to have them stay with you temporarily. This means preparing your home, making sure they have a comfortable and private area for sleeping, installing or getting them mobility aids and making the home easy to move about in.
The whole family will need to help out not just in preparing the house, but in lending a hand and helping with the recovery process. Calling a family meeting to discuss your parent’s needs and your expectations in terms of responsibilities in the household is wise.
Home Care Services Can Be Extremely Useful
Perhaps one of the best steps you can take is to set up home care services. This can be in their home or yours, wherever they will be staying during their recovery. It’s important to note that there are different types of home care services available, allowing you to tailor them to your parent’s needs. These St. Louis home care services can include overnight care, safety and supervision 12-hour care or 24-hour care. Home care services may only be a temporary need or a longer-term need such as assistance needed due to dementia.
Some of the ways home care services can help include:
- Helping them in/out of bed
- Helping them get dressed
- Moving around the home
- Medication management
- Meal preparation
- Feeding
- Doctor visits
It can be well worth looking into these services to see how they can help.
Don’t Rush the Recovery Process
The final tip is to be patient with the recovery process. This can be the toughest thing to do, especially if your parent is anxious to get back to their regular activities. Rushing recovery can lead to additional health issues and negatively affect the recovery process. You may also need to remind your parent of this fact.
When your parent returns home after hospitalization, it can be great news, as it means they were well enough to be discharged. But being discharged to go home and recover isn’t the same as fully recovered so you must offer them all the assistance they need.