Transitional Home Health Care: Help with Returning Home After a Hospital Stay

After a medical procedure or hospitalization, the words we look forward to hearing most are, “Here are your discharge papers – you are free to head home now!” What a sense of relief there is in coming through the front door, sinking into a favorite chair, and unwinding.

Yet there are frequently a variety of tasks required for proper healing and recovery and to prevent a re-hospitalization. For older adults who live alone, and even for anyone with family support, it can be intimidating to sort through all the post-hospitalization instructions, pick up prescriptions, make follow-up appointments, adjust to any needed dietary or lifestyle changes, and so much more.

This is when an established home care agency, like Compassionate Nursing Services, is invaluable. Our transitional home health care can begin even prior to discharge to make certain every important detail will be addressed. Working with the hospital’s care team, we can easily formulate and put into action a recovery plan to include:

• Scheduling follow-up appointments
• Preparing a list of medications, along with any allergies and/or dietary restrictions
• Ensuring the fridge and pantry are stocked with healthy foods
• Establishing physical activity routines
• Arranging for any essential medical equipment to be delivered to the home
• 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’re taken just as prescribed
• Plan and prepare meals
• Assist with showers, getting dressed, using the toilet, etc.
• Offer companionship for conversations, card games, puzzles, and 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 partnering with our home caregivers, older adults can lessen the strain that is often connected with a hospitalization and concentrate on getting the rest necessary to recover. Not just that, but our services enable senior loved ones to avoid a stay in a rehab facility and recover where they are most comfortable: at home.

If a senior you love is facing a future surgery, the care team at Compassionate Nursing Services can help. We will be happy to come visit the older adult at home and start to formulate a plan to ensure a smooth transition home again. We can also perform a home safety evaluation and provide recommendations for any changes essential to prevent falls – a common and hazardous occurrence after a hospitalization.

Reach out to Compassionate Nursing Services senior caregivers at 314-432-4312 to learn more about our Chesterfield home care services and the communities we serve. Our home health care team is here for you, before, during, and after a hospital stay. To learn more about our top-rated home care services and the communities we serve, please visit our Service Area page.