Why it is Important to Plan for the Discharge Home

It is easy to forget that when an elderly person has to go into hospital for anything more than just a outpatient visit, much of their recuperation happens after they leave. The major part of the healing process occurs in the home and very often requires home help or personal home care.

The care provided in the home can be every bit as complex as that given in a hospital, which is why discharge planning needs to be done properly and with all aspects carefully tailored to the individual’s particular set of care needs.

The factors that may need to be taken into account can include the following:

Does the patient need specialist care? – If so you will need to link in with the local Public Health Nurse in your area.

Who will be the primary carer? This is an important factor to think about.  Are you going to be the main carer or will a number of people be involved in the care?  It would be beneficial to drawing up a weekly plan before leaving the hospital, so if there are any areas of care that cannot be met, you can discuss this with the hospital social worker.

What will the person’s care needs be on a daily basis?  You need to consider what help may be required from when the person first wakes up until they go back to bed at night.  These needs could include; washing and dressing, medication reminders, preparing breakfast etc. Over time, as the person improves these needs can change, which is why it is important to have constant reviews of their daily care plan.

This is just a small sample of the questions that need to be asked, so as to avoid any oversight in the coverage of care. Failing to do this properly can cause problems further down the line.

Structured and Adaptive
The key to a successful return home after a hospital stay for a senior is to listen to them. They may not bounce back as quickly as younger patients, but by providing them with adequate discharge planning, nothing gets missed and they are given the best possible chance of making a speedy and complete recovery.

Castle Homecare can Help
At Castle Homecare we are happy to help and give advice on the best course of action for you or your relative, please know if you would like to give us a call that all calls are strictly confidential, and there is no obligation on you when you do call us.