Resources & help for patients going home after a hospital stay

I recently received the following question about resources to help after a hospital stay.

My husband suffered a stroke in March and has been in and out of the hospital ever since. The rehab facility recommends that he be transferred to a memory care unit for a month because he can’t quite remember things. Most people in the memory care unit have Alzheimer’s but he does not. I would rather take him home, but my children are worried that I can’t care for him. I don’t know what to do.

Multiple readmissions to a hospital and/or rehab facility interrupt recovery. The time that could be used for therapy is lost in logistics, admissions and management of symptoms. Very often, patients in rehab facilities seem weaker or worse partly because of the interruptions in the care programs. You have the right to request in-home rehab. A memory care unit will not improve his memory in a month. Actually, it might make things difficult and worse for him because a new environment can cause increased levels of confusion.

Here are 3 simple steps you could use to help him get the right type of care outside of the rehab:

1. Ask the rehab facility to organize a discharge planning care conference so that you can have firsthand information about the amount and level of care he needs at home. A discharge planning meeting is usually attended by the therapists, nurse, social worker or discharge planner.

2. Request for a care management consultation so that a care manager can help develop a restorative caregiving program that will promote his wellness, help him stay out of the emergency room, learn how to live with chronic symptoms, feel happier and thrive regardless of any life-limiting diagnosis.

3. Attend the next GOING HOME STAYING HOME SESSION. These are no-cost telephone or Zoom sessions held every Tuesday (at 11 a.m. PST) designed to provide practical advice and resources for caregiving families dealing with the aftermath of a hospital admission. For more information or to get the call-in numbers or zoom link, call or email me today.