Why Seniors Need Skilled Nursing After A Fall
When seniors come home from the hospital after a fall, they may need more care at home until they are totally back up on their feet. Skilled nursing care helps seniors who want to recover from a fall at home.
Skilled nursing care is different from regular home care. A home care provider will help seniors with chores, cook meals, and do general errands and shopping as well as providing basic care for seniors. Most of the time that’s the level of care that is appropriate for seniors. It’s usually only after a fall or a medical event like a stroke or a heart attack that seniors skilled nursing care. Some of the differences between regular home care and skilled nursing care for seniors are:
Wound Cleaning And Dressing Changes
A skilled nurse can help your senior loved one by performing wound cleaning and dressing changes if your senior parent had to have surgery after their fall. Incision sites can become infected quickly so having a skilled nurse check the incision daily, clean it, and change any dressings or tend to any wounds can prevent any major complications. It will help your senior loved one heal to get care performed by a nurse at home.
Physical Therapy and Exercises
Your senior parent will almost certainly need physical therapy. A skilled nurse can help seniors perform physical therapy exercises at home until they are well enough to go to physical therapy. That way they can start working on range of motion and flexibility right away which will encourage healing. It can also help seniors hang onto the muscle and strength that they have so they don’t lose additional mobility or use of a limb after a serious fall.
Transferring And Mobility
Skilled nursing care for seniors includes transferring in and out bed and working on their mobility to get around the house. Having a trained nurse who knows how to safely help seniors of all sizes after a fall is something that every senior recovering at home needs. A nurse will also motivate your senior loved one to get up out of bed and starting walking and moving around as soon as they medically can. That’s important for circulation, preventing blood clots, and preventing muscle atrophy.
Patient Monitoring
Anytime a senior has gone through a major medical event they need monitoring. A skilled nurse knows the signs of an infection or other medical condition that could turn serious. Having a nurse in the home with your senior loved one means that there a medical professional there who can contact their doctor if necessary and administer medication or make sure that your senior loved one gets the medication and care that they need.
Conclusion
It’s not a surprise that seniors usually recover much more quickly when they can recover at home. Skilled nursing care allows seniors to get the medical support they need to finish their recovery at home after having a fall or a medical event.
Source
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/planning-for-home-care
If you or an aging loved one are considering skilled nursing in Avon, IN, please call the caring staff at Home Services Unlimited. Serving the Greater Indianapolis Area. Call for Immediate Info & Assistance: (317) 471-0760.
- Home Care Differences Between Grooming and Hygiene - April 24, 2023
- 4 Senior Home Care Tips to Get Out of a Food Rut - April 13, 2023
- Elder Care Tips For Managing Senior Stress - March 21, 2023