Prevent Hospital Readmissions with These Tips from Home & Hearth Caregivers
These days, lowering hospital readmissions for high-risk patients is a vital priority for hospitals. Healthcare Financial Management Association’s article “Two Ways Hospitals Can Reduce Avoidable Readmissions” reports that effective initiatives from 4 hospitals with low 30-day rehospitalization occurrences are to a certain extent due to collaborating with inpatient and outpatient care providers such as Home & Hearth Caregivers to supply a continuum of care with the professional home care Elmhurst families trust.
The hospitals mentioned in the article provide the tips below to reduce hospital readmissions:
- Start preparations for a patient’s discharge on the day of admission. When an older adult is hospitalized, contact a home care agency, like Home & Hearth Caregivers, to arrange for in-home care when the patient is discharged. Outcomes are improved when home care services are made available as soon as possible.
- Identify patients who are at high risk for concerns after discharge for enhanced care coordination and/or case management. (Make sure social workers visit all patients who are over age 80 to help with care needs.)
- Utilize technology to assess, track, or refer patients.
- Perform a thorough assessment of the patient’s risk factors, care needs, obtainable resources, comprehension of the disease or condition, and degree of family support.
Home & Hearth Caregivers, top providers of the home care Elmhurst families need, understands how critical it is to develop a transitional care plan in order to decrease the chance of hospital readmissions for seniors. We can help clients plan for care starting on day one of their hospital admission, monitor their health and ensure that care plans are put into practice once they return home. Give us a call at 800-349-0663 or complete our simple online contact form to learn more about how we can help older adults transition from hospital to home through professional services such as:
- Reducing fall risks in the home by providing a safety evaluation of the home, assistance with ambulation and showering, etc.
- Ensuring medications are taken exactly as prescribed
- Planning and preparing healthy meals
- Keeping an eye out for any medication side effects or other post-hospitalization problems
- And more
Keep your senior loved ones safe and well with a little care from Home & Hearth Caregivers!