Hospital Discharge Planning
When you or your elderly loved one has been hospitalized due to a fall, illness, severe injury, or just for day surgery, it indicates that you require specialized expertise from an acute care hospital at that time. A short-term treatment program is established with the intention of discharging you as soon as you feel steady and healthy. Sadly, rather than considering whether a patient is prepared to leave, discharge decisions are frequently made primarily on the need to free up beds.
When a senior patient is discharged too soon, it typically causes tremendous stress for the family or the patient because they will still require care at home and extra assistance such as medical supplies and equipment, home support, personal care, or medical care. The stress is a result of not knowing how to best help their loved ones or themselves when they get back home, lack of information on how to access resources needed, and possibly the home being unfit for the patient’s new needs. It is very important for the family and the senior patient being discharged to understand their condition, care needed, diagnosis and medications.
Frequently, this leads to readmission because there is inadequate treatment available, self-inflicted injury at home by the patient or primary caregiver while attempting to help, or even death. Planning for discharge is therefore crucial for both senior patients' relatives and senior patients. Knowing one's rights regarding discharge is crucial because every hospital has a health team that patients can work with to prepare for their discharge. Early on during the hospital stay, it is important to get in touch with the social worker, patient care coordinator, and unit manager to evaluate the needs for home care for your elderly patients after they are discharged. If a discharge planning meeting isn't offered to you, or you don't have the essential equipment or home care support, or there isn't suitable transportation, or you feel your senior loved one is not yet ready for discharge always ask for a meeting to voice out your concerns.
Once the discharge date is finalized. It is important to make sure some of the following things are in place before you agree on a date and timefor discharge.
Arrange for appropriate transportation from the hospital
Have home care arranged
o The first 24 -48 hours make sure you have 24-hour home care by either family or hired caregivers to just make sure all help needed will be given. the transition to getting back home with different needs is difficult, not being able to do the routines
o A couple of PSW/ caregiver support hours per day for the week following the discharge to assist with home support activities and personal care routines.
Make sure you have arranged for any new medication they might have.
Make sure all the necessary support equipment is available at home for use by the patient.
Get information about the follow-up doctor appointment.
Find out from the Care Coordinator the home and community care support you are eligible for.