Often, with age comes new hospital stays, surgeries, and a lot more that can seem daunting and like a hard thing to focus on alone as a senior. Luckily, seniors can get through these times when they find the right help. They may need to rely on family members more and even find hospital to home transition care to help them recover after surgery.
However, there are so many things a senior can do before they know they have surgery or a hospital visit coming up. Here are some things to consider as a senior trying to age in place.
Hire The Right Help
You may not need help before you get surgery but before you even step foot in the hospital, it’s important to think about who is going to help you afterwards. When you meet hospital to home transition care before your surgery it will help you feel more comfortable with who is going to help you. You both can build a relationship and you can sense whether or not they are a good fit for you and if you’re going to be comfortable enough to trust them in your house. A doctor or hospital may work with a program that has hospital to home transition care so it is going to be important to ask.
Get Your Paperwork Together
If this is a major surgery you will need all of your paperwork together. You may need to print bills and get them in order, print medications, and any information the hospitals and doctors need before your surgery. Many doctors will give their patients a list of things to do before surgery and it’s important to do it all and give them all of the information they need. When you get organized before your surgery it will help things run more smoothly and you will be less stressed out in the future. Getting paperwork and a small binder filled with information also helps hospital to home transition care identify what you need while recovering. They will know where their focus should be.
Know the Layout
Before surgery, you should be well acquainted with the hospital. You need to know where you should park, where you’re going to be staying when family members can visit, and more. Ask if you can visit the hospital a few times and if you can have a tour. You may want to take a family member or those who are going to be with you during this time. If you already have a home care service setup you can ask them to tag along too. Learning the hospital layout in advance will help you understand where to go and where you are when the time comes.
Always Take Notes
Chances are, you will have to see a doctor multiple times before surgery. This is the best time to ask questions, set up care, and take notes. It’s going to be hard to remember everything a doctor says so ask them to send you notes or have someone with you who can take notes. This will help you understand and go through everything later on when you have had time to process the information.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Hospital to Home Transition Care Services in Northport NY, please contact the caring staff at Star Multi Care today. Call (631) 424-7827
Star Multi Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving Long Island and in NYC including Dix Hills, Floral Park, Great Neck, Huntington, Manhasset, Massapequa, Northport, Plainview, Rockville Center, Stonybrook, Suffolk County, Nassau County, and Queens County.
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