Have you ever wondered what post-hospital care services are? It covers two sides of your dad’s care needs before he comes home from the hospital. Post-hospital care can be medically necessary or help around the home that ensures you don’t over-exert and wind up back in the hospital.
Medically-Indicated Post-Hospital Care
Post-Hospital Care Allegheny County PA – What Is Post-Hospital Care?Some of your dad’s post-hospital care needs will require home health care nurses. He has incisions to keep clean and bandaged. A nurse helps with incision care. They can change bandages, clean any dried fluids, and replace the bandage.
Your dad has medications to take to manage pain. He has antibiotics, antivirals, or other medications that a nurse can administer. If he needs any medications administered through an IV line or injection, post-hospital care nurses can take care of it.
With some medications, it’s hard to predict how a person will tolerate them. If your dad’s doctor wants him to take a new heart medication, such as a calcium channel blocker instead of a beta blocker, it helps to have a nurse on hand to see if any concerning side effects occur. If so, the nurse is there to talk to the doctor about other options.
If his care needs in the hospital involved catheters, feeding tubes, or IV fluids, nurses are equipped to care for the ports, replace the tubing if necessary, and remove IV lines and catheter tubes when it’s time.
Nurses can assess your dad’s health as he recovers. They’ll check and record his pulse, blood pressure, pain level, and oxygen saturation level. They can assess his emotional and mental health as that impacts how well he heals.
Supportive Care
Depending on why your dad was in the hospital, he’s going to need some level of supportive care. If he had surgery, he is going to have a list of post-operative instructions. They usually include things like no lifting anything over X number of pounds for two or more weeks.
He’s going to have to take it easy. That means letting others do the laundry, vacuum carpets, wash dishes, etc. Housekeeping services are an important part of supportive care.
He also needs to have someone available to cook his meals and get drinks for him. If he needs his plates taken away or a glass refilled, post-hospital care aides can do that. They can also support him while he stands up, sits down, or gets in and out of bed.
Your dad may need emotional support while he recovers. His caregiver is there to keep him comfortable, join him on slow walks, and alert you if he’s lonely or depressed.
Before your dad comes home from the hospital, arrange post-hospital care. He’ll have the support he needs to focus on his recovery and not everything else going on around him. Call a home health care agency and ask about post-hospital care services.
If you or a loved one are considering Post-Hospital Care Services in Allegheny County PA, please call and talk to the caring staff at Extended Family Care of Pittsburgh at (412) 693-6009. We will answer all of your questions.
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