The first 30 days after being discharged from a hospital visit are vital to a patient’s recovery. Unfortunately, not all Americans are aware of the risks that remain after a hospital discharge. This is especially true with the elderly, who often need care and support to avoid complications that can lead to re-admission.
At Visiting Angels, our elderly care professionals regularly assist seniors as they transition from the hospital to home. And with hospital readmission rates as high as 25%, we know how important being proactive and attentive can be after a hospital visit.
Below, we’ve listed the most common risks for hospital readmission, and how family members who help out with elderly care can help make the hospital-to-home transition as safe as possible.
The first step to preventing hospital re-admissions is to know what the risk factors are. If you are providing elderly care to a loved one after a hospital-to-home transition, consider risks such as:
Your loved one’s doctor is your best source of information when transitioning your loved one home from the hospital. Ask your loved one’s doctor about how you can improve hospital-to-home elderly care by asking:
If possible, you should start making an elderly care plan for your loved one several days before their discharge takes place. Sometimes, however, this is not possible, so it’s important to review what steps you should take.
Once you have your loved one’s hospital-to-home elderly care plan in place, put it in action. Be sure to provide your loved one with all of the care and support they need for their recovery.
If you are short on time, feel overwhelmed, or simply wish to increase your loved one’s chance of a successful recovery, consider enlisting the services of a professional elderly care agency. At Visiting Angels, we offer our Ready-Set-Go-Home program for hospital-to-home transitions. This program is specifically designed to reduce the chances of re-admission and is administered by professional caregivers.
To learn more about hospital-to-home elderly care from Visiting Angels, call 1-800-365-4189 today to connect with your local office.
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Thank you once again for the fine service your agency has provided for my mother.