Returning Home: Start Planning Now

When a doctor admits your loved one to a hospital or facility it’s often a traumatic experience, whether you were expecting it or not.

And, as a family caregiver, it’s unlikely that you’re thinking too far ahead. Just get through one day at a time, right?

However, while a senior is still in the hospital or rehabilitation facility, it’s important to begin preparations for the time your loved one will return home. That’s because a smooth transition home is vital to a successful recovery. Consider this:

• Nearly 20 (19.6%) of Medicare patients discharged from the hospital are readmitted within 30 days of discharge, account for $17.4 billion in spending, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
• One chronic condition that often sends older adults back to the hospital is heart issues. In fact, approximately 30 to 40% of patients with heart failure are readmitted within 6 months of hospitalization.

Many issues factor into why older adults are vulnerable to problems at home after they have been in a hospital or rehabilitation setting.

“One of the reasons we have large numbers of readmissions, many of whom are elderly, is because seniors are sent home unprepared, or they don’t follow or understand directions, or there is not adequate support at home or availability of a family caregiver – which puts them at risk. The key issues that send seniors back to the hospital are medication problems, falls in the home and not following up with the doctor,” said LaNita Knoke, President of the American Association of Managed Care Nurses.

Add to that list home safety issues, nutrition and hydration challenges, and overwhelming responsibilities for the primary family caregiver, seniors and their families can face a difficult road ahead.

Planning during a crisis is never as effective as being prepared in advance. Preparation is your best strategy for avoiding the many pitfalls that can sabotage you senior’s health and well-being when he or she goes home.