Helping an Elderly Loved One After Leaving the Hospital

Emery

A hospital stay can be a traumatic event. Helping an elderly loved one adjust to being back home after a hospital stay will help both their mental and physical condition.

Think Ahead

Returning home after hospitalization may be unsettling to an elderly loved one. Plan ahead for their first week back home to make sure all their needs will be met, you can install grab rails Australia so that they can move around comfortably as they recover. Do your best to assimilate their habits from before the hospitalization with any new tasks that are needed to maintain their, such as diet changes or a mediation schedule. Most certainly, being back home will be comforting for your loved one, just take some time to plan ahead to make sure that they are safe as well as comfortable.

Leave Me Alone- I’m Lonely

During hospitalization, a patient is cared for 24/7 by an entire team of healthcare providers. Add in the parade of visitors and your loved one will either be exhausted or lonely upon arriving back home. Give your elderly loved one a little space so they can settle back into their familiar surroundings. Ask them if they need some much-missed solitude or would prefer a constant company. Although physical healing is the goal of hospital stay, emotional and mental healing is needed as well upon returning home. Offer support and space as needed.

Adapt

The condition that required hospital stay may also require some adaptation at home. Take some time during the first couple of days to work with your loved on to adapt their home to meet any new needs the may have. Sometimes it’s helpful if the furniture is rearranged to make getting around a bit easier. Even something as simple as moving a phone closer to the place where your loved one normally sits can be helpful. Maybe the changes will be more major such as signing up for a meal delivery program or hiring a landscaping company to mow the grass. Remember though, this is not your home it is your loved ones, so work with them to make the changes they need, in a manner they can live with.

Step in as Secretary

As people get older, many start to have problems keeping their finances straight. With automatic bill pay, constant credit card application, and scammer on the loose, the elderly are seen as easy targets for fraud. With your loved one’s permission, sit down and work through their finances to make sure their obligations are being met. This will also aid in paying any bills for the recent hospital stay as you will be aware of how their finances are and can help them stay on track or apply for aid if need be. Explain to your loved one that you want to help them with this task, as their primary job is to get settled in at home and get better.

Create a Safety Net

The transition out of a hospital and into either a skilled nursing facility or their family home really requires a strong safety net of supportive friends and family. This safety net is needed to make sure any medication or rehab schedule if being followed, to make sure the living area is clean, to make sure bills are paid, to protect against scammers and most of all to provide love and support. A hospital stay is a direct confrontation with mortality and it can leave most people feeling vulnerable. Make sure your elderly loved one has plenty of caring people to help bolster his or her emotional well-being as well as physical.

Helping an elderly loved one adjust after a hospitalization can be challenging at times. Many seniors are set in their ways and can get upset at having to deal with any changes. It’s not uncommon for hospitalization to bring on a bout of depression. By being supportive, and helping your loved one make agreed-upon adjustments to their home and lifestyle, you can ensure their safety and well-being as they transition from hospital to home.

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