When a family member returns home after a hospital stay, life usually doesn’t return to normal right away. Recovery from surgery can take several weeks, so knowing how to set up the home to be safe and comfortable for them can make a big difference for everyone involved.
Whether it’s rehabilitation after a stroke, childbirth or knee replacement, the home setup when a person returns can impact how well they recover from their hospital stay.
[READ: Emergency Room, Urgent Care or Primary Care Physician: Which Should You Pick?]
How to Prepare Your Home After a Hospital Stay
Here are 10 tips to properly prepare your home when a family member returns after a hospital stay:
1. Put yourself in your loved one’s shoes
2. Set up their home base
3. Reduce fall risk
4. Clarify medication usage
5. Consider assistive devices
6. Plan meals ahead of time
7. Get children involved
8. Have a plan for pets
9. Consider home care
10. Line up follow-up care
1. Put yourself in your loved one’s shoes
The best way to start is to envision how navigating your home could be tricky for your loved one based on their current limitations.
“My daughter takes riding lessons where there’s a one-eyed horse. She closes her same eye to experience the world as him so she can best be guided and avoid fearful steps. It’s the same concept for caregivers,” says Roman Fry, chief growth officer of AnewHealth, a pharmacy care management company.
Walk through your home with the person’s limitations in mind. As you walk through, make notes of any changes that might be helpful.
2. Set up their home base
If your loved one’s bedroom is up a flight of stairs, temporarily set up their home base on the first floor. Put all of the items they may need within easy reach.
This may include:
— Books, puzzles or other leisure items
— Medical supplies
— Medication
— A TV remote control
— Their phone and charger
— A bell or other device they can use to call for help
— Water or another beverage
Set them up somewhere quiet.
“You want them to rest and recover in a calm, inviting environment,” says Dr. Jeffrey Zavala, a family physician and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians’ board of directors.
You may also want to consider adding in-home technology, like an Amazon Echo or Google Home device, which can be connected with smart outlets and would allow someone to turn on and off lights without getting up.
3. Reduce fall risk
Falls may increase after a hospital stay for several reasons. Your loved one may have:
— Pain that makes them more unsteady
— A different sleep schedule than usual
— Weaker muscles that make walking more of a challenge
— Medications that make them sleepy or dizzy
To cut down on the risk of falls, have clear pathways in any areas where your loved one may need to walk, such as to the bathroom or kitchen. Temporarily move area rugs or items on the floor that could lead them to trip.
Add more lighting where needed. You can purchase nightlights that plug directly into outlets and turn on automatically in the dark.
Talk to your loved one’s health care team to stay aware of any medications that may cause dizziness or sleepiness.
[READ: Best Exercises for Preventing Falls in Older Adults.]
4. Clarify medication usage
A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that 16% of hospital readmissions within 30 days were associated with medication issues. Of those, 40% were preventable.
“The complexity of managing multiple medications can be overwhelming, especially during recovery,” Fry says.
Here are a few ways to make medication management a little easier:
— Start the discussion at the hospital. Discuss the medications that your loved one will be using with their hospital-based health care team and their primary care provider and pharmacist. The person’s primary care provider or a pharmacist can compare new medications against existing ones to flag for bad interactions or duplications. Make sure to let health care team members know about over-the-counter medicines and supplements.
— Use tools and technology. This includes electronic reminders, pill organizers or pharmacies that pre-sort meds for a person’s specific usage schedule. You also can have medications delivered to the home, saving you a trip to the pharmacy.
— Know medication purposes. Having an understanding of the medications and whether they’re intended for short-term or long-term usage will help you keep them straight.
— Remember medication safety. If there are small children in the house, make sure you have child-resistant containers or pill organizers.
— Learn about medication interactions. In addition to drug-drug interactions, some medications interact with foods or drinks. Learn about any medication interactions to help out the person who’s just returned home.
[Read: Deprescribing Medications for Seniors]
5. Get help from assistive devices
Depending on your loved one’s limitations, assistive devices could make life a lot easier. This includes items such as:
— Canes or walkers to use when walking
— Grab bars for the shower or tub
— Grabber or reacher tools to grab things from an area that’s too high to reach
— Smart watches that help monitor heart rate, sleep and blood oxygen
— Touch on/touch off lights
— Wedge pillows that help a person sit up in bed
— Walking canes
If you’re not sure what items may help your loved one, talk to their health care team for ideas, Zavala recommends. Their health insurance or Medicare may cover the cost of some items, such as canes or walkers if they’re medically necessary.
6. Plan meals ahead of time
Your loved one may not have the appetite or energy to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Giving some thought to meal prep can help them eat healthy while they continue to rest and recover. Here are a few ways to make meal prep a little easier:
— Make larger batches of meal items so all they need to do is heat up leftovers.
— Use a meal delivery service.
— Say yes to family members and friends who want to help.
“If (family and friends) offer to drop off meals, take them up on it and communicate any dietary restrictions your loved one has during this time,” Zavala advises.
You can even organize a meal train on your own or with the help of certain websites and apps.
7. Get children involved
Your first instinct may be to keep the children out of the way as much as possible.
However, other family members (including kids) and pets “can help provide comfort and cheer during a time of healing,” says Dr. Alisha Goodrum, an internal medicine physician with PlushCare, a virtual health platform.
Here are some key messages you can share with children to prepare them for changes but also keep them involved:
— Let them know that your loved one probably won’t be as mobile while they recover.
— Ask if they can keep the house a little quieter during the recovery period (realizing this may not go as planned).
— Even if they love sitting on grandma’s lap, let them know this may have to wait. It’s important to consider lifting restrictions and keeping wounds or surgical sites clean when pets and small children are in the home.
— Find small jobs that children can do to help. Maybe they can bring food or a drink to your loved one, or take the dog out back. A small child could help check off completed chores on a list.
8. Have a plan for pets
If your loved one usually cares for pets in the home, consider how others can help. Write out a schedule of the pet’s routine, and see if those in your home as well as family and friends can help take on tasks like walks or feeding. If you have a small dog who will want to lay on the bed with your loved one, consider getting a dog ramp so the patient doesn’t have to lift up their pet best friend.
9. Consider home care
Your loved one’s medical team can help advise whether home care will be needed once they’re home. Case managers at the hospital will typically help find out what services, like home care, could be covered by Medicare or insurance. You can work with your loved one’s family physician or primary care provider to find reputable home care agencies in your area.
“It’s OK to set up home care services once home from the hospital, but setting up services before hospital discharge helps ensure a smooth transition, especially if family members or friends will be getting back to work,” Goodrum says.
10. Line up follow-up care
It’s important to know when to seek medical help if your loved one’s condition changes after a hospital stay. While every person’s recovery varies, there are certain warning signs that may indicate a need to contact their health care provider or return to the hospital.
These symptoms include:
— Worsening or severe pain
— Signs of infection, such as redness or swelling at the wound site
— Fever
— Shortness of breath
— Worsening fatigue
If you notice any new or unusual symptoms, don’t wait to get medical attention.
They also may need regular follow-up care. This might be in the form of routine follow-up check-ups, physical therapy or mental health care. Talk with their doctor ahead of time to get those appointments scheduled and arrange transportation.
More from U.S. News
Foods All Men Need in Their Diet
10 Tips to Prepare Your Home After a Hospital Stay originally appeared on usnews.com
