Why Do Senior Citizens Often Get Readmitted to the Hospital?
If you are caring for your elderly loved one, there are certain things that you need to know about. One of those things is that senior citizens often get readmitted to the hospital after injuries, surgeries, or illnesses. It can be helpful to know more about the causes of these readmissions. That way, you and 24-hour home care providers can help to prevent your elderly loved one from having to go back into the hospital after they come home.
Medication Issues
One of the most common causes of hospital readmissions for the elderly are medication issues. Usually, when someone leaves the hospital, they are on medications. Some reasons medications might be prescribed include:
- Pain management
- Stabilizing blood pressure
- Reducing inflammation
- Reducing the risk of infection
- Fighting off infection
If your elderly loved one doesn’t take their medications as prescribed when they go home from the hospital, it could cause their condition to get much worse. If that happens, they may need to stay in the hospital again.
If your elderly loved one is discharged from the hospital, it would be a good idea for you and the 24-hour home care providers to have a list of the medications they need to take and when. That way, you can remind them to take those medications.
Falling
Unfortunately, there are many senior citizens that fall after they leave the hospital. There are many reasons why they have an increased risk of falling when getting home. Some of these reasons include:
- Having a previous fall that put them into the hospital can lower their confidence when walking
- Having balance issues due to medications or health issues
- Being weak from not moving around enough
If your elderly loved one falls after they get home from the hospital, they may likely have to stay back in the hospital for a while. To lower your elderly loved one’s risk of falling, it would be best if they had someone stay with them for a while after they get home. 24-hour home care providers are available to do this.
Not Getting Enough Support
Most senior citizens who leave the hospital feel tired and weak. They may not be able to get around their house as easily as they did before. However, that may not stop them from trying. Many senior citizens often hurt themselves or have stitches break open because they try to do too much too soon. It is vital that your elderly loved one doesn’t push themselves too hard after they get home from the hospital. It would be best if you or 24-hour home care providers could be there to help and support them after they get home to prevent this from happening.
Conclusion
Is your elderly loved one coming home from the hospital? If so, you and home care providers can work together to lower your elderly loved one’s risk of going back to the hospital. The tips here today are a good way to help keep them at home.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6114496/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20reasons%20for,cancer%20(n%20%3D%2051).