When seniors leave the hospital, the next phase of their recovery begins. They may not be sick or injured enough to stay in the hospital, which is a great sign that they’re healing. Often they need additional help with their recovery process, though. Additional care and support from skilled nursing care professionals allow seniors to get the medical attention they need while they heal.
The Hospital-to-Home Transition
Right after a hospital discharge, seniors often face a lot of different challenges. Many seniors find that they’re weaker than they were before they went into the hospital. They may also experience temporary cognitive challenges, like brain fog, or have trouble dealing with new medications and treatments. Skilled nursing care helps them to get medical assistance during this transition so that they avoid having to go back to the hospital.
Monitoring and Health Assessments
In the hospital, seniors have nurses and other healthcare professionals checking on them at regular intervals. Skilled nursing care at home means that licensed nurses visit seniors at home and monitor vital signs, manage wound care, and assess how recovery is going. Nurses can notice very quickly when something needs attention, which helps patients get treatment quickly.
Medication Management
Often after a hospital stay, seniors may find they’re taking different medications or new dosages of medications. That can be difficult to manage after a hospital stay, so it’s helpful to have nurses available to offer assistance and note side effects. Problems with medication adherence are a big contributing factor to hospital readmission, so having help with medications can keep seniors out of the hospital.
Wound Care and Rehab
After a surgery or illness that involves a wound of any type, skilled nursing care can help ensure that those wounds heal properly. Nurses understand what to watch for in terms of wound care and healing, so if there are complications or signs of an infection they can take action quickly. This helps both patients and family caregivers have peace of mind about recovery.
Chronic Condition Management
Chronic health issues don’t just go away when seniors are dealing with other health problems. Everything can feel more complicated when seniors have to face recovering from a hospital stay, including managing those existing health conditions. Skilled nursing care helps to ensure that those other health issues don’t flare up just because seniors aren’t feeling their best overall.
Emotional Support and Education
There is a lot to deal with when seniors come home from the hospital. Patients might need assistance from home care services or other types of therapies and support. Family caregivers may also need more help understanding how best to assist their family members. For everyone involved, this is a stressful situation and the emotional support they receive knowing that their family members are getting compassionate care is so important.
Coming home from the hospital can feel overwhelming for families and seniors. Skilled nursing care offers a way for seniors to continue to get assistance with their medical needs as they recover in the comfort of their own homes.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Skilled Nursing Care Services in Lititz PA, please contact the caring staff at Extended Family Care Lancaster today. Call (717) 391-6363
Extended Family Care Lancaster is a Trusted Home Care Agency in Lancaster, Pennsylvania including Columbia, Elizabethtown, Ephrata, Hershey, Lebanon, Lititz, Manheim, New Holland, and Paradise.
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