Tips for Seniors After a Hospital Discharge

Senior hospital discharges are often stressful for all involved. With roughly 20% of seniors on Medicare rehospitalized within 30 days of discharge, their concern is usually justified.

Visiting Angels know how difficult it can be to adapt to reduced mobility, impaired independence and psychological hurdles. However, we are committed to reducing hospital readmissions.

In this guide, we’re going to explain some proven methods and tips for seniors after a hospital discharge that can help make the transition comfortable and safer.

Why Are Seniors Usually Re-Hospitalized?

• Not fully understanding the hospital’s discharge instructions.
• Medication issues, such as skipping doses, running out and not taking medications as prescribed.
• Unable to shop for food or cook due to weakness or inability to drive or cook.
• Falls and accidents due to weakness, exhaustion or new equipment.
• Missed medical appointments due to a lack of transportation, or cancelations.
• Diseases such as heart issues, diabetes and strokes.
• A lack of care and support from others.

Top Tips for a Senior’s Hospital Discharge:

Consider In-Home Care

As you will see in our following tips, there are a lot of time and energy consuming tasks that seniors face everyday. Naturally, family caregivers may struggle to be there around the clock. But that doesn’t mean you need to resort to a nursing home.

Senior home care providers, such as Visiting Angels, use professional senior caregivers who work the hours you want on a customized care plan. Doing so can allow your loved one to thrive in the comfort of their own home.

Ask Questions and Keep Notes

Preparing is essential and a great way to prepare is by asking questions and keeping a notebook.

This ideally should start from day one of being in the hospital, but it’s never too late to start. Ask important questions. These will allow you to gain a clear understanding of what your loved one needs at home and what schedule they’ll require.

Make notes of all these questions and answers in a notebook, either physically or digitally. This should include documents and instructions.

Know How to Manage The Condition

Whether your loved one is returning from hospital following an operation or due to an ongoing disease, you will need to know how to manage it to prevent discomfort, pain and worsening health.

It’s critical that you make notes with a doctor before hospital discharge to have a clear understanding. This may, for example, include medication recommendations, pain relief strategies and Alzheimer's care strategies.

Have Travel Options Setup

Life for seniors after a hospital discharge may see them unable to drive or walk like they used to. Public transport may also be unsuitable.

Ensure your loved one has a comfortable system in place for safe and efficient travel to and from, appointments, social activities and religious events.

Common solutions include being driven by a friend, family member or professional in-home caregiver.

Gain a Clear Understanding of Medication Demands

Medication issues are one of the leading reasons for readmission to the hospital.

If your loved one doesn’t complete their medication routine, their health may quickly deteriorate.

You must know how to obtain medication and pay for medication, to avoid scenarios where you run out of medication stock.

You should also have a system in place to ensure mediation consumption, refills and reminders are unproblematic. This may require you to create a medication chart or to request the support of a senior in-home caregiver.

Always discuss any concerns with your healthcare provider or pharmacist before you start avoiding medications or deciding to do something that hasn’t been advised.

Social Support

Life after a hospital discharge can quickly become lonely for seniors, especially if they live alone. They can go from being around people in similar situations everyday at hospital, to complete isolation.

Make sure your loved one has the opportunity to visit or be visited by friends and family. You can also try to connect them to family via video calls. It may also be healthy to try out social activities with other seniors, such as clubs, religious events and gatherings.

Get Cooking and Meal Planning Straight

By sorting out meal plans in advance, you can ensure your loved one has healthy, nutritious meals that they enjoy - every day!

If you don’t plan in advance, meal time can become very stressful due to disagreements and a lack of time.

Feel free to read our guide on How to Make Healthy Meals for Seniors When You Have No Time to Cook here.

Shopping and Errands Plans

It’s also advised that seniors discharged from hospital have support to buy food, visit the pharmacy and run errands.

After hospital, life is usually unlike it was before. Seniors don’t tend to have the energy and strength to safely complete out-of-the-house chores.

While it can still be healthy to complete these tasks together, you should have a vision of how you’ll get these tasks done and when.

Discuss Bathing and Dressing

When a senior struggles to bathe, groom and dress alone, their health and personal hygiene can worsen rapidly. No one should experience that. But it can be a difficult subject to approach.

Your loved one may be too embarrassed to address this subject on their own, so consider asking them if they’re concerned or believe they’ll need help.

Naturally, this may be an uncomfortable area for any family caregiver to volunteer for. If so, you can consider an in-home caregiver (referred by Visiting Angels) to step in during the evenings or mornings.

Is The Home Safe?

Your loved one’s home must be safe and adapted to their needs once they’re discharged from love.

This could vary from grab bars in the bathroom and emergency phones in each room, to changing slippy carpets and removing trip hazards outside the front porch.

Anything that is a potential hazard should be removed. Read our guide on How to Do a Home Safety Evaluation for Seniors.

Household Chores

Household chores are also often overlooked. Cleaning, laundry, dish washing and much more. We all know them and loathe them. Ensure your loved one has the necessary help to keep their home clean, whether that’s with a family caregiver or a professional senior home caregiver.

Medical Equipment, Supplies and Services Checklist

Go through this list and ask your physician or other health care provider if you need to order any of the following, and if so, ensure you will be able to pay for them:

Equipment:

• Oxygen
• Safety Rails
• Grab Bars
• Hospital Bed
• Transfer Lift
• Cane
• Walker
• Wheelchair
• Abduction Pillow
• Orthopedic Brace

Services:

• In-Home Care Services
• Respiratory Therapy
• Social Work
• Speech or Language Pathology
• Physical Therapy
• Hospice Services
• Occupational Therapy
• Adult Day Care

Contact Us for Senior Home Care in New Port Richey, FL

If you’re concerned about life for your loved one after a hospital discharge or need support in your caregiving, contact Visiting Angels today to arrange a referral of a professional caregiver to provide Senior In-Home Care in New Port Richey, Florida.

Whether you're ready to get started or would like to learn more, we'll be happy to have a conversation with you or your loved one.

You can call us at +1 727-233-8346 today.