From Our Community Newsletter, Autumn 2009:

Whether your loved one has been in a skilled nursing facility, hospital, hospice or a rehabilitation center, homecoming brings many challenges and changes. Living alone after a medical event or moving in with you, a plan is needed before coming home.

Be thankful that your loved one is healthy and able enough to return to a familiar home environment where they can feel more comfortable and less like a patient.

Life will present many new changes in their ableness around the home, the level of support they may need for the short or long term, changes in medications, managing time for appointments and rehab visits, as well as the anxieties about if or when the next hospitalization may occur.

Talk to the Professionals

Talk to the professionals about what to expect. Use this as a starting point to base your plan upon. The health professionals at their current facility may recommend you to purchase and install home equipment such as a Hoyer lift, grab bars, a showering chair, hospital bed, a wheelchair, oxygen, and a personal response system for future emergencies. Other home modifications may be needed to ensure a safe environment. Prepare for all of this before they return home, and know how to use it. If you don’t require the equipment for the long term, rentals can sometimes be found at some home care supply stores.

Getting Support

Despite how confident you are that you’ll be able to manage your loved ones increased care needs as well as your own life and busy schedule, professional support is often a necessity. The right home care company will match the right caregiver to the unique needs of your loved one. At Premier Homecare Services, we adjust your individualized care plan and services as the needs of you and your loved one change. From 24-hour and Live-In care to hourly schedules, you have the flexibility to change the level of care as your loved one’s health and ability improves.

You Can Do It

You’re not alone in your challenges. Support, help and resources are all available. Realize that helping your loved one through this difficult time is honouring them and may someday provide you with treasured memories.

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>> This entire article was taken from Premier Homecare Services’ Our Community Newsletter, a quarterly newsletter we enjoy sending out to our clients and professional partners. You may download a copy of the Autumn 2009 edition (download PDF version here) or contact info@homecarephs.com if you would like to subscribe to receive future copies of the newsletter. Thank you.

Keywords: senior care, in-home care, homecare, hospital discharge, senior care options, home care, caregiver, live-in caregiver, caregiving services, caregiver information and advice, living assistance.