What Your Senior Needs When Going to the Hospital
24-hour home care can help minimize hospital trips and make them easier when they do happen.
As seniors age in place, they may, unfortunately, find themselves in the hospital more often than they would like. One of the best ways to minimize this from happening is by hiring 24-hour home care when they need it. Before you make that decision, understand if that will actually help your loved one. You can look for signs like falling, not taking care of the house, not showering, or even not making it to the bathroom.
If you find that some things may be lacking or lowering a senior’s quality of life, it truly is time to look for 24-hour home care, and these professionals can also help ensure a senior goes to the hospital less. However, your senior loved one may still end up in the hospital, and it is important for them to be prepared.
Here are some tips on how you and your senior loved one can be prepared for a hospital trip.
Have a Binder Filled With Info/ Contacts
Before a hospital trip even happens your senior loved one should have paperwork together and even create a binder. This binder can be filled with important information like what medications they take when they take them, how they feel when they take them, when their last hospital trip was, who their emergency contact is, and whoever their 24-hour home care professionals are.
This information is not only helpful for the people who take a senior to the hospital; it’s also important for family and 24-hour home care. A senior can work on this alone or with a caregiver.
Having a binder filled with important information allows anyone they trust to come in and understand exactly where their health stands, and it could very well save their lives. So, if a hospital visit ever happens, always have this binder handy!
Have a Hospital Bag Ready
A hospital bag is just in case of an emergency. This is something with the essentials, like travel-sized toiletries, medications, clothing, and more. Essentially, a senior can put whatever they want into this bag and grab it on their way out of the door. If they go to the hospital a lot, they may need to restock this bag.
If your loved one does not have time to grab it on their way out, a family friend or 24-hour home care provider can grab it on their way to meet a senior at the hospital. It can help your seniors feel more comfortable while they recover overnight in the hospital room.
Call Their Primary Doctor Immediately
Hospital trips happen. However, just because your loved one ends up in the hospital does not mean their primary care doctor will know. Seniors should always call their primary doctor to let them know where they are and what they are in for and allow the hospital to communicate with their doctor. This will help a doctor figure out what needs to be changed and help your loved one manage their health better. This is an important part, and it can be done before a senior leaves the hospital room.
If you or someone you know needs help with 24-Hour Home Care in Kentwood, 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.
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