How Can Home Health Care from Visiting Angels Ease Hospital Transitions for Seniors in Westminster, CO and Surrounding Areas?

Visiting Angels provides the home health care services that seniors in Westminster, Broomfield, Northglenn and Nearby Cities in Colorado need to easily return home from the hospital

Hospital stays can be challenging for seniors. 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 Should I Ask When My Loved One Gets Discharged from the Hospital?

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 your loved one leaves. This can help you understand the support your loved one needs after leaving the hospital and what their healthcare provider recommends in order to recover at home, which can reduce the odds of hospital readmission. If your loved one needs additional support once they return home, you can count on Visiting Angels Westminster to provide personalized, one-on-one home health care services.

Here are some useful questions to ask in order to assist in your loved one’s transition:

• What should I know about my loved one’s condition?
  Request information from the hospital staff. Understand your loved one’s 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 is needed?
  Many seniors need non-medical support, such as help with mobility, personal hygiene or light housekeeping. Ask hospital staff what kind of home health 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. At Visiting Angels Westminster, our home care providers can assist your loved one with everyday tasks in order to aid in 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 Choose Home Health Care Services from Visiting Angels Westminster?

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 Westminster, which helps seniors transition from hospital to home safely through personalized home health care.

Our caregivers offer:

• Medication reminders and pharmacy pickups
• Monitoring and reporting changes in health condition
• Scheduling and attending medical appointments
• Grocery shopping and nutritious meal preparation

If home health care from Visiting Angels Westminster sounds like the solution your loved one needs during the discharge process, contact us at 303-625-7623.