Is Your Dad in the Hospital With the Flu?
Flu cases are spiking and hospitals are starting to see an increase in patients. Your dad caught the flu and went to the hospital. He’s stable enough that his doctors think he can go home, but they want you to arrange post-hospital care services. What does this mean?
What Is Post-Hospital Care?
Post-Hospital Care Westfield NJ – Is Your Dad in the Hospital With the Flu?
Post-hospital care is a service where a licensed nurse comes to your home to provide the treatments recommended by the medical team. Your dad’s doctors want him to recover at home with someone monitoring his vital signs, paying attention to signs of breathing problems or infection, and addressing issues before they worsen.
The goal of post-hospital care is to ensure your dad follows his doctor’s orders to prevent re-hospitalization. People heal better in their beds and with familiar household noises. A hospital can be busy with people walking around, doctors and nurses talking, and visitors stopping in to see neighboring patients. It’s hard to get enough rest. Post-hospital care resolves these complaints.
What Can the Nurses Do?
With post-hospital care at home, your dad’s nurses can check his vital signs. They measure his breathing rate, oxygen intake, pulse, and blood pressure. His nurses can administer IV fluids if he’s dehydrated and or needs any medications like antibiotics or antivirals.
His nurses can assess his health and determine if he’s improving or worsening. As pneumonia and sepsis are risks with the flu, it helps to have a professional there to quickly determine if he’s not getting better. His nurse can discuss his treatment path with his doctors and make adjustments to medications, oxygen treatments, and anything else that’s advised.
What’s the Benefit of Post-Hospital Care?
There are two main benefits. First, you all experience less stress knowing a licensed nurse is in his home assessing his health and working with doctors to improve his care if anything changes. Second, it lowers the odds of him returning to the hospital due to mistakes he makes.
After he’s released, his doctors will likely prescribe medications, give him a list of what he should be eating and drinking, and tell him to take it easy. If your dad is likely to ignore his doctor, a skilled nurse can make sure he’s doing exactly what his doctors said.
Talk to his doctors about what he needs for his recovery at home with the help of post-hospital care services. He’ll have nurses available to check his oxygen saturation level and blood pressure. His nurses can count his respirations and make sure he’s not struggling to breathe.
Most importantly, you and your dad have peace of mind knowing a nurse is right there to communicate issues with the doctors. If your dad’s health seems to be worsening, he has nurses right there to assess him and implement changes to his care needs.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Post-Hospital Care Services in Westfield NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.
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