If you're planning to have hip replacement surgery soon, there's a chance you may need to go to a skilled nursing facility to recover after your hospital stay. Sometimes this is necessary if your doctor thinks you won't be safe at home until you're able to get around better on your own. While a regular nursing home might have a skilled nursing wing, a skilled nursing facility is much different from a traditional nursing home. For one thing, the goal is to assist your recovery so you can go back home if possible. Here are some ways a skilled nursing facility benefits you after major hip surgery.
You'll Have Skilled Nursing Care
While residents in a traditional nursing home receive some nursing care training, it's usually basic things like administering medication, monitoring vital signs, managing illnesses, and treating injuries. When you transfer from a hospital to a skilled care facility, you need much more involved care. You might have IVs, need medical equipment, or require wound care. You'll need close monitoring for infections and complications from surgery. You'll have skilled nursing care around the clock to make sure you have the care you need for quick healing so you can get back home.
While this type of setting is ideal for recovering from hip surgery, many other patients need skilled care too such as after a stroke or when struggling with COPD. Skilled care is the place to be if you don't qualify for a hospital stay, but you need nursing care that you can't get at home.
Skilled Nursing Facilities Provide Rehab Services
Another important service offered by these facilities is rehabilitation. After you've had hip surgery, you'll need physical therapy so you can regain your mobility and strength. Being in the same facility where therapy is offered makes it easier for you to attend your sessions. Plus, there will be plenty of staff around if you need help standing and taking your first steps. By being prompted to stand and walk more steps each day, you'll recover quicker and prevent complications that might otherwise arise if you were to stay sedentary at home.
While these are two important differences between a skilled facility and a traditional nursing home, there are also similarities. You'll have assistance with meals, dressing, and other forms of personal care. Your whole day won't be spent in rehab, so you can participate in social activities, play cards, or watch movies with your new friends. The setting is more enjoyable than being in a hospital and more stimulating than recovering at home when you have limited mobility and are stuck in the house.
Share20 February 2019
Recently, my mom took my grandmother to her physician for a regular check-up. During this visit, the doctor discovered my grandmother had a cracked bone in her foot. Due to my grandmother’s dementia, she didn’t know if she had fallen or dropped something on her foot. My family and I decided my grandmother shouldn’t live on her own anymore. Do you desperately desire to protect an elderly loved one from harm? If he or she is currently living alone, consider placing your loved one in a nursing home or an assisted living facility. By making this move, you won’t have to worry anymore about the possibility of your relative falling with no one to help him or her. On this blog, I hope you will discover the numerous benefits of moving a senior loved one into a nursing home or assisted living facility. Enjoy!