Private Homecare for Seniors Offers a Successful Recovery with Personal Care

Winnipeg Senior Home Care  |  August 21, 2024

What Every Family in Winnipeg, MB Needs to Know About Private Homecare for Seniors

Private Homecare for Seniors | Changes in healthcare and advances in medicine have created a situation where patients are discharged from the hospital much sooner than previously. While the patients may be medically fit to return home, they are often not mentally and emotionally prepared for the in-home recovery process. 

Unfortunately, this can lead to patients returning to the hospital rather than recovering and thriving in the community. Offering the appropriate support at home gives patients a feeling of security and increases their chances of a successful recovery.

Private Homecare for Seniors Can Help Reduce Hospital Re-Admission

Three Senior Recovery Facts:

#1. Readmission:

One in five seniors is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. Often admission to the hospital happens unexpectedly through an emergency. Many factors contribute to this figure, including stressors encountered upon returning home.

#2. Seniors that Live Alone:

Many seniors live alone as well and must deal with the problem of taking care of themselves while they recover. Even if there is a family member or friend to assist, it may only be for limited times during the day such as before or after work.  

#3. Overwhelm Upon Return:

Seniors may return home after an extended hospital stay to discover no food in the fridge or cupboards, the home in disarray, utilities cut off due to lack of payment, etc. These immediate problems may prompt the senior to attempt to do more than physically able.

Recovery with Private Homecare for Seniors

Studies indicate that patients discharged from a hospital and left alone to manage for themselves were overwhelming. Data shows that individuals were better prepared to recover in their homes when they felt safe. Feeling safe extends beyond the physical aspects; those with support after discharge felt more prepared to face the recovery process. That support includes not being alone for extended periods and this is where respite care can benefit the situation.

Additionally, the senior may be unprepared for what recovery “looks” like. A professional caregiver can help differentiate between normal physical changes and changes that indicate a problem. A professional can help prevent the senior from ignoring the symptoms of a serious problem or sending the senior to the hospital unnecessarily.

How to Ease the Transition Home to Recovery with Private Homecare for Seniors

Readying the senior for the return home should be done before the senior is discharged. Preparing the senior for the physical aspects of recovery by explaining what physical changes are to be expected and how (s)he can best manage his or her condition is important. 

There is also interesting data that supports educating spouses and partners on the illness and recovery process. Studies show that when the spouse’s or partner’s anxieties regarding the illness are relieved, the patient has a better chance of recovery. 

In one study, when the spouse was given appropriate timelines for the loved one to return to normal functioning, and when the condition and its causes were explained clearly to the spouse, the stress of not knowing why the illness happened was relieved. 

Additionally, if the cause of the illness was attributable to a high genetic risk, the spouse and patient were more motivated to make changes to factors they could control, such as improving diet and increasing exercise, thereby increasing the chance of recovery at home.

Three Tips for a Successful Recovery with Personal Care

#1. Ready for the Return:

Before the senior leaves the hospital, it is important to speak with family members about ensuring the senior’s bills are paid and the home is ready. This will help alleviate the burden of immediate daily responsibilities. 

#2. Arrange Professional In-Home Care:

Hospital personnel or family can arrange for an in-home service to prepare the home if the family or friends are not readily available. In-home care by Comfort Keepers® ensures the home is clean, meals are ready, and assistance is available when the senior returns home so the senior can focus on recovery.

#3. Arrange Companion Care:

Supporting the senior during the recovery period is also critical for successful healing. However, often the family is unable to be with the senior due to work and home obligations or because they live out of the area. 

While friends and community can help for some of these individuals, others may not have a network to aid them. Often, this prompts the family or hospital to place the senior in a care facility for the duration of recovery, which can be costly. 

Companion care by Comfort Keepers® can be a better option. Unlike care facilities, our caregivers work one-on-one with the senior and provide companionship and transportation to appointments, remind the senior when medications are due, help with light housekeeping and meal preparation, and do other tasks that can provide the support the senior needs for recovery at home.

Comfort Keepers® Winnipeg can help provide a wide range of private home senior care services

For families concerned about the health and well-being of aging loved ones, we can help with homecare services including, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, in-home personal care, respite care, specialized care, in-home nursing, end-of-life care, senior living transition services, and much more! 

Comfort Keepers® professional caregivers provide services to ensure safety, health, and happiness without the stress of moving to an assisted living or rehabilitation facility. Our customers’ care plans are individually tailored to meet their needs, accounting for their living arrangements, medical issues, physical restrictions, personalities, expectations, and more.

Our Interactive Caregiving™ approach enables top-notch homecare

The Interactive Caregiving™ provides a system of care that addresses safety, nutrition, mind, body, and activities of daily living (ADLs). Our compassionate caregivers can provide a personalized home care plan for your loved one, allowing them to enjoy a healthier, safer, and more meaningful retirement at home. 

Comfort Keepers® is the most trusted name in senior care in Winnipeg

We actively work within the Winnipeg, MB community to provide options, activities, events, and resources for seniors that might otherwise not be available to them to ensure that seniors under care are engaged physically, socially, and mentally. 

In-Home Personal Care in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Our caregivers are part of the community — we live and work here, too, so we know the area and how to assist using local resources. Comfort Keepers® Winnipeg is here to help you and your loved ones get the best care possible. If you live in Winnipeg and require homecare services for senior personal care and wellbeing, contact Comfort Keepers® at (204)-488-4600. 

Comfort Keepers® Winnipeg has been accredited with Exemplary Standing with Accreditation Canada. Accreditation is an intensive process in which industry experts examine an organization’s processes, policies, and procedures against quality standards. To achieve accredited status, Comfort Keepers® offices met or exceeded the rigorous standards for Home Care companies, as defined by Accreditation Canada.

References

• Boughton, M. & Halliday, L. (2009). Home alone: Patient and carer uncertainty surrounding discharge with continuing clinical care needs. Contemporary Nurse, 33(1), 30–40.
• Broadbent, E., Ellis, C.J., Janine, T., Gamble, G., & Petrie, K.J. (Can an illness perception intervention reduce illness anxiety in spouses of myocardial infarction patients? A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67, 11–15.
• Grimmer, K., Moss, J., & Falco, J. (2004). Experiences of elderly patients regarding independent community living after discharge from hospital: A longitudinal study. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 16(6), 465-472.
• Heine J., Koch, S., & Goldie, P. (2004). Patients’ experiences of readiness for discharge following a total hip replacement. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, 50, 227-233.
• Landro, L. (2013, March 17). The hazards of leaving the hospital. The Wall Street Journal, Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323826704578353131038599350.

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