How Can Home Care from Visiting Angels of Boulder County Ease Hospital-to-Home Transitions for Seniors in Longmont, CO and Surrounding Areas?
Visiting Angels aims to make the hospital-to-home transition easier for seniors in Longmont, Boulder, Louisville, and nearby cities in Boulder County through personalized home care services
Hospital stays can be challenging, especially for aging adults. Whether it’s an overnight visit or an extended stay, time away from the comforts of home can diminish a senior’s sense of normalcy and well-being. The last thing seniors want is to return to the hospital.
Unfortunately, roughly 20 percent of seniors on Medicare are readmitted within 30 days of a hospital discharge due to preventable factors such as:
- Medication issues
- Falls and accidents
- Missed medical appointments
- Disregarding diet recommendations
What You Should Ask During Your Loved One’s Hospital Discharge
The hospital discharge process can happen quickly. You may have waited for hours to leave and suddenly you’re walking down the hospital corridor, heading for your car with new prescriptions to fill and your uneasy loved one in a wheelchair.
Get clear instructions before you leave to reduce the odds of hospital readmission. Knowing what steps your loved one needs to take during the recovery process can make it easier to encourage them to stick to recommendations from their healthcare provider.
Learn which questions to ask and consider home care services from Visiting Angels of Boulder County to assist in your loved one’s transition.
- What should I know about my loved one’s condition?
Request information about your loved one’s health from the hospital staff. Understand their diagnosis and what kind of care they received in the hospital. Learn which symptoms will require follow-up from a medical professional. - Are there medication changes?
Medication errors are the main cause of readmittance to the hospital. Ask for a list of prescribed medications. Make sure you understand the dosages and recommended times. Also, confirm which medications your loved one should no longer take. - Are follow-up appointments scheduled?
Get a list of upcoming medical appointments and mark them on your calendar. Follow-up appointments will ensure recovery is on track and prevent a return trip to the hospital. If possible, attend these appointments with your loved one. - What additional support does my loved one need?
Many seniors need non-medical support, such as help with mobility, personal hygiene or light housekeeping. Ask hospital staff what kind of home care services they recommend for your loved one. Also, find out what tasks they should be able to do on their own. Failure to do these tasks could be a sign of worsening health. Count on Visiting Angels of Boulder County for expert in-home care so your loved one can receive personalized, one-on-one support during their recovery. - Request written, step-by-step discharge instructions.
Make sure to get clear, easy-to-understand documented instructions from the hospital. If you don’t understand the instructions, review them with the staff. Make copies so both you and your loved one have the same information.
Why You Should Consider Home Care Services from Visiting Angels of Boulder County
Many family caregivers underestimate the support needed at home for seniors to continue recovering. Although, with proper support and planning, you can reduce the risk of re-hospitalization.
For extra assistance, consider enrolling in the Ready-Set-Go Home program from Visiting Angels of Boulder County. Through this program, we help seniors throughout Boulder County transition from hospital to home safely by providing personalized home care services. Our goal is to reduce the rate of hospital readmission and encourage clients to follow recommendations from their healthcare providers to make the recovery process easier.
Some of our home care services include:
- Medication reminders and pharmacy pickups
- Monitoring and reporting changes in health condition
- Scheduling and attending medical appointments
- Grocery shopping and nutritious meal preparation
If you’d like to learn if home care services from Visiting Angels of Boulder County is the right solution for your loved one, contact our Longmont, CO office at 303-848-2331.