Caring for seniors after surgery
Taking care of a loved one after surgery is a tricky situation, and should be done carefully. If healing after surgery does not occur properly, then there are risks of complications that will occur. Caring for your loved one after surgery can be stressful, both for your loved one as well as yourself. Surgery is tough for anybody, but it is more so for our aging loved one. As their healing process is slow compared to the younger age group. To avoid all this, and to ensure comfortable and fast healing, you need to follow these six simple tips and suggestions. Dealing with this and being careful not to irritate the condition any further can cause strain on you, as the caregiver.
Tips and suggestions to ensure faster healing for your loved ones after surgery
The idea of the surgery itself can cause a significant amount of stress to your loved one. And, the stress in any form is not a very good sign before undergoing surgery of any kind. According to the National Institute on Aging, it is important that our loved one get informed about the various possible side effects that they can experience after surgery.
Step 1: Prepare the home
Make certain changes in the home before your loved one comes home after surgery. This is a very essential component of all the arrangements. Because their recovery would depend a lot on this single aspect. Making the home senior-friendly is extremely important to avoid falls, accidents, and other mishaps. Here are a few pointers that you should consider
- Clear the pathways and remove the unnecessary clutter.
- Their room should be free from any unnecessary items and should be well lit.
- Install grab bars wherever possible to avoid sudden falls due to loss of balance.
- The bathrooms should also contain grab bars. And also consider buying raised toilet seats.
- Place all the essentials and frequently used items within easy reach.
- Make sure you don’t let them climb upstairs to reach their room. Make arrangements so that, they can stay on the ground floor until recovery.
Step 2: Prepare a list
Make a list of all the items that your loved one will need after they are home post-surgery. Some of the essentials include:
- Wheelchair
- Braces
- Compression socks
- Adjustable bed
- Etc. to name a few
Certain medications can also get purchased beforehand. This will help to avoid the last-minute rush.
Step 3: Stock up their pantry
Make sure you fill their pantry with lots of healthy and nutritious foods. Which are easy to prepare and made with minimum efforts. The healthy and nutritious meal would ensure faster-wound healing and a faster recovery.
Step 4: Handling postoperative delirium
Postoperative delirium is a common condition. Often seen in patients who have undergone a surgical procedure. Your loved one may not suffer from dementia, but they may still appear confused and agitated. You need to ask your doctor about this condition and learn how to handle it. Whenever you find your loved one confused or in an agitated state, it is always better to keep them calm. The problem should resolve within a few days. However, if it persists, it is always better to consult the doctor.
Step 5: Learn the art of being patient
You need to understand that the initial days, after surgery is going to be tough and difficult for your loved one. You may find minimum cooperation from their end, which can make you sad and frustrated. However, you need to keep your cool and keep patience as much as possible. You are going to help them with everything, from personal grooming to preparing meals, taking them to doctor’s appointments, and so on. Your loved one will require your help for every little thing. So, if you find this task overwhelming and feel that you can’t handle it all alone, then you can always ask us for help. For more information, kindly visit my site.
Step 6: Make your loved one as comfortable as possible
Recovering from major surgery is a very slow process for your loved one. And can be frustrating for them at the same time. Therefore, it becomes our prime responsibility to make them comfortable as much as possible. Any kind of surgery would bring along pain, which can make our loved ones irritated and grumpy. We cannot take away their pain, but giving them medications on time, and making them comfortable, can keep them relaxed. Taking care of their physical as well as emotional aspects can fasten the recovery process. Also, a little TLC and pampering will do wonders for them too.
For additional help, check out these books to help with caregiving.
Tena’s after surgery home care services
Postoperative care is one of the important and critical tasks to care for when your loved one gets discharged from the hospital. Who doesn’t want to receive care after surgery in the comforts of home? However, who will ensure that your loved one receives the optimum and proper amount of care after they get home from surgery? Who is going to take care of talking to the social workers, administration, and other entities? Tena can handle all of this and many more.
Why choose Tena as the ultimate caregiving expert?
She is ready to take care of your loved ones and help them recover in the comfort of their own homes. Her services can be tailor-made according to your personal requirements. She has twenty-five plus years of experience. And has been through may surgeries and dealt with many different situations of after surgery care.
It can be difficult to attend to your loved one after surgery, but it’s not impossible. With the right knowledge, you can do this. Don’t forget about taking care of yourself and keeping your business going while you are caregiving. I’m here to assist you on this journey, schedule your planning session with me so we can look at how to keep your life and your business running smoothly.
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PLANNING SESSION TODAY
The Ultimate Caregiving expert services can help you with the following:
- Religiously following Doctor’s orders on discharge
- Coordinate with case management
- Long-distance care
- Helping with meal preparation
- Set up care for their regular appointments
- And much, much, more
Conclusion
Here are my tips and suggestions to make sure your loved one has the best recovery time ever. With us by your side, you can sit back and relax. Your parents will have the very best care! Overseeing all of this can cause you to stress because you can’t be in 2 places at one time: taking care of your business and taking care of your loved one. Look into hiring some help.
This will give you the opportunity to get some rest and also make sure your loved one is properly cared for. Or maybe you want to spend more time with your loved one while taking a break from some of the redundant business tasks like sending out emails, returning calls, or organizing files. Let’s chat about how I can be of service to you so you can take care of your business and your loved one.
