Helping Your Loved One Sleep Well After Shoulder Surgery
24-hour home care can help aging seniors recover from surgery safer, better, and faster.
Shoulder surgery has greatly improved for the elderly in recent decades and is considered a safe and helpful surgery for those who are struggling with constant pain and a lack of mobility in one shoulder. One of the largest considerations many surgeons have when working with patients to determine if they can have the surgery is making sure they have the help they need afterward to recover well. 24-hour home care can help.
While many steps go into a good recovery, one that can often get overlooked is the need for your loved one to be able to sleep well and rest after his surgery. Planning for that variable will help ensure your loved one is on the right path to full recovery.
Preparing for Sleep Before Surgery
If your loved one is returning to his own home after surgery, having his place set up and ready to welcome him back will help him settle in, get the rest he needs, and sleep well. Besides having 24-hour home care services ready, here are a few things you can take care of before he comes home so that his home is ready.
- Set up his sleeping area. Many people recovering from shoulder surgery are not comfortable sleeping in a bed at first. Having a comfortable recliner in an area that’s conducive to sleep can help your loved one rest better. Since recliners are normally in the living area space, consider whether it’s better to move his recliner to the bedroom or prepare the living area for better sleep by providing darkening curtains and white noise machines.
- Get PJs that are easy to get in and out of. Or consider having a robe that has Velcro fasteners so he can use one hand to open and close it.
- Are pets a help or hindrance when it comes to sleep? If a pet is going to cause problems at night by being too big to snuggle on the chair with your loved one, you might want to have pet care for it as your loved one recuperates.
Getting a Good Night’s Rest Once Home
Once your loved one is home after the surgery, he can take steps to rest better.
- Take his pain medication properly. He doesn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night in pain, so help him remember to take enough pain medication to get him through the night or time it so it lasts overnight when possible.
- Use plenty of pillows. Your loved one may need to experiment with the pillows to determine which provides the most comfortable support.
- Ice the shoulder before bed to reduce swelling and pain.
- Wear the sling while he sleeps to provide support to the shoulder.
Getting through the Night with 24-Hour Home Care
Getting through the night can be challenging, especially if the shoulder surgery was on your loved one’s dominant shoulder. He might struggle to get out of bed to use the bathroom or pick up a pillow that’s fallen on the floor. Having a 24-hour home care team for those first few weeks can help.
Not only can his 24-hour home care team help him sleep better, but the 24-hour home care team can also help with daytime chores, reducing the worries that may keep your loved one up at night.
When you can’t be there, a 24-hour home care team is ready to step in with everything your loved one needs.
If you or someone you know needs help with 24-Hour Home Care in Comstock Park, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 560-4057 for more information.
- Signs That Seniors’ Driving Skills Might Need to Be Tested - December 18, 2024
- 5 Ways To Get Your Senior Parent To Eat More - December 11, 2024
- Does Your Senior Parent Need Alzheimer’s Care? - December 3, 2024