Senior Care News

Home Care in Clark, NJ – Making the Hospital to Home Transition

When your loved one is discharged from the hospital it can be a happy and joyous time. They finally get to go home. But there may be some issues that should be addressed before they arrive home. Some of the important topics include transportation, home care services, and early discharge.

Transportation

In the excitement to get your loved one home the question of transportation may have been forgotten. How will your loved one get from the hospital to their home? Are they well enough to be driven by someone or do they need an ambulance ride if they will be receiving home health care? Are you available to drive them or do you have another relative who is available? How will transportation to doctor appointments be handled in the next few days and weeks?

Home care services

Your loved one will likely need some help once they return home. Do they need the medical component of home health care services for a while? They can later transition to home care service. A caregiver can also help with the transportation requirements of frequent doctor appointments. Your loved one may not be up to doing errands such as grocery shopping; it can be done by an in-home care provider.

Early discharge

Make sure your loved one doesn’t have the problem of being given a premature discharge. When the doctor says your parent is “good to go” but you know he or she isn’t, state your claim and stand your ground. Speak with the hospital discharge planner if you are able to, and make a plan for your parent to transition safely from hospital to home without a big problem. This is the best way to avoid readmission.

Organize your parent’s home as much as possible before they arrive home. Have cleaners go in and do carpets, floors, heater ducts and so on. These things are hard to do with your parent at home and even more difficult with your parent recuperating at home from an illness serious enough to warrant a hospital stay. Stock their fridge and cupboards if you can, so there are lots of healthy food choices without the need for your parent to immediately go grocery shopping after arriving home.

Make sure home care services are all set up and are going to run smoothly, and that you or another family member or a caregiver will be with your parent at all times. Make sure someone is assigned for each task your parent will require help with. It’s so much easier to do it before they return home than to be scrambling around trying to find help at the last minute when you need it right now.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring home care services in Clark NJ, call the caring staff at Helping Hands Home Care today at (908-418-4299)

Providing Home Care Services in all of Northern and Central NJ, including Clark, Westfield, Crawford, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Linden, Summit, Edison,Elizabeth, Mountainside and the surrounding areas.

Robert D'Arienzo

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