Am I Left On My Own If I’m Discharged Home?
When a patient is discharged home from the hospital, it doesn’t mean you are left on your own to recover!
A support system in addition to your friends a family will be there to help you have the optimal recovery as well. Whenever you are in doubt, or have any questions reach out to your surgeon or doctor’s office.
Prior to discharge home, or prior to surgery a case manager or social worker will speak with you and your medical team about what specialized staff you may need to help you recover. Let them know of any logistical challenges such as stairs in home, limited help at home, or transport issues as early as possible!
Let’s go through the different types of staffing that may be there to help you at home after surgery and their roles
Who Will Help Me When I’m at Home?
Post-Op Visiting Nurse Services
Some medical treatment may still need to perform while you are recovering at home, requiring someone who is licensed to perform such duties. Not only will they be there to administer the treatments, they will also be your medical liaison between you and the doctor. They will be reporting how well you are recovering, if any medical or surgical issues exist.
Their duties also include:
- Performing any dressing changes or incision care
- Removing sutures or staples when the time comes
- Administering antibiotics through an IV/PICC if needed
- Monitoring your vital signs and any changes
- Monitoring for side effects from medications
- Providing basic health care services and basic care needs
- Evaluating progress of recovery
Home health aide
Home health aide can assist people with cognitive difficulty, chronic illness or aging. A home health aide helps improve the quality of life with professional and hand-on care. Home health aide provides basic health assistance and companionship. For example, for bathing and dressing, housekeeping, monitoring medication, grocery shopping, meal preparation and planning, transportation to doctor’s appointments, companionship visits, organization of schedules and appointments and physical exercise. Home health aides also help with specific in-home care related to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, hypertension, stroke recovery, heart disease, cancer recovery, hospice and palliative care.
Home-care physical therapy
Physical therapy care can be provided in a variety of different settings. If you are hospitalized, therapy will be provided by a physical therapist at the hospital. However, if you have difficulty leaving the house for physical therapy, a physical therapist may come to your house to help restore normal functional mobility. Or home physical therapy will be continued from your inpatient program to assist in your recovery.
Home-care physical therapy in case of:
• An acute or severe condition and leaving the house presents as a health risk.
• Limited functional mobility.
• Lack of adequate or access to transportation to go to your physical therapist.
• You are more comfortable with a physical therapy session in your home.
Occupational therapy
Although it may seem there is overlap between Physical and Occupational Therapy, there are differences between the two. Occupational therapy helps you adapt and perform any kind of task in your home, at work or school; things that you do everyday, that may need to be modified while you recover. The occupational therapist teaches you how to use assistive devices if you need them. They help you change your movements, take care of yourself, stay active and play sports.
Occupational therapy also helps you do specific things, for example:
• Eat without help
• Participate in leisure activities
• Bathe and get dressed
• Clean up around the house and do laundry
How Am I Going to Pay for Services at Home?
Services are prescribed for a length of time and frequency; many time’s services like this will be covered by insurance or with a small co-pay. If you are looking to extend the length or increase the frequency of your services, that may need to come out of pocket. Let your doctor know if you feel you may need more services, they will usually try to get it authorized through insurance first.
Right Device is here to ensure your operative game plan is ready prior to surgery. Sign up today to access our surgery database! Join our Patient Partner Program as well as speak with someone who has had the exact same surgery or with an Orthopedic/Spine Nurse Practitioner or Medical Device Specialist today!
