After Skilled Nursing Care: Transitioning Home With Confidence
Returning home after skilled nursing care is an exciting time. However, many patients still need to manage their health to fully recover at home. Maintaining confidence and making the home a safe and positive environment can help smooth the transition. At Santé, we are committed to helping patients at our facilities and ensuring they are cared for at home. Read on to discover how to make the return home as smooth as possible while maintaining the confidence to continue on the road to recovery.
Steps to Take To Ensure a Smooth Transition After Skilled Nursing Care
Plan and Prepare Early
Before you return home, you’ll want to have a plan. You should start planning for your care sooner rather than later, as this will make the transition as smooth as possible. Some things to consider include whether you will have home therapy or must be taken to appointments.
You also want to consider who will be around to help and what types of supplies will be needed at home so that you have a safe environment. You can ask your skilled nursing team for guidance if you don’t have someone to help in this area.
Make Sure Home is Safe
Part of planning and preparing is ensuring the home is safe to minimize the risk of injury. This includes putting grab bars where needed and handrails throughout the house. If a bedroom is on a second level, you may want to make accommodations so you don’t have to go up and down the stairs. Also, be sure there is adequate lighting and that you have easy access to a phone should there be an emergency.
Decide Who Will Help At Home
You will likely need some assistance when you get home. Decide who will be around and what their role will be. You want someone who you are comfortable with and that you can trust. If possible, a close friend or family member may be the best choice if available and up to the task. If not, many agencies can provide someone to come into the home to help at a cost. This can be an out-of-pocket expense, depending on your insurance coverage.
Expect Things Will Be Different
It is important to understand and accept that things will be different once you get home. Unrealistic expectations that life will return to normal can lead to frustration and disappointment. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Give yourself time to adjust as you continue to recover. As you continue to improve, you’ll notice that you can do more and more things on your own.
Stay Focused on Your Goals
Having recovery goals is a great way to stay on track. Stay focused, even when you’re having a bad day. Realize that it will take time to regain strength as you establish your new normal. Staying focused will allow you to get stronger and reduce the risk of getting hurt and returning to the hospital or a short-term care nursing center.
Plan Social Gatherings at Home
Plan social gatherings at your home if you cannot go out alone. Studies show that loneliness can put you at a greater risk of developing dementia and other health problems.[1] Getting together with family and friends will allow you to have the socialization that you need as you continue to recover at home. This will help to boost your mood and keep you motivated.
Skilled Nursing Care at Santé
If you are looking for skilled nursing care, Santé is here to help. We provide services for those recovering from surgery, trauma, and other medical conditions. Our dedicated and experienced staff will provide the care and therapy you need to recover safely and ensure you are ready to transition home.
Our skilled nursing facilities are conveniently located in Mesa, Chandler, Surprise, and North Scottsdale, AZ. Contact us today to learn more about how the Santé approach can provide the best chance at recovery and independence.
Sources:
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html
Dan is Vice President, Marketing of the Alumus family of companies. A Seattle native, he earned his BA in Humanities and Political Science at Evergreen State College. He started his career as a newspaper columnist, eventually transitioning into marketing and tech writing for Microsoft and several other startups. He later launched a successful creative agency focused on branding, digital marketing, and content production in Los Angeles, where he worked for several nursing and behavioral health clients, eventually becoming the National Marketing Director for one of them.
He has taught Vipassana mindfulness meditation and MBSR and spends whatever free time he has with his son snowboarding, hiking, and camping in the mountains.