Undergoing surgery is never fun and often stressful. Not only is it a painful process, but the recovery time is also often isolating, frustrating, and sometimes more painful than the surgery itself. You usually have difficulty doing everyday things as simple as getting dressed on your own or cooking a meal. This can place an undue burden on people that you live with, as they will temporarily have to become your intensive caretakers. Though they may be happy to do it, extending your post-operative care in Kendall to the home by hiring one of our expert caretakers at Amerihealth. Here at Amerihealth, we have caretakers for any level of medical need that are fully licensed and accredited.
Post-operative care is pretty much what it says on the tin, care after surgery. This begins the moment the surgery is finished, as a nurse specialized in post operative care will make sure you wake up from anesthesia properly and that there were no immediate adverse reactions to the surgery. Once you are completely awake, you will usually be moved into a room for close monitoring by a floor nurse. This nurse will come in every hour or so to check your blood pressure, help you with anything you need, like showering or going to the bathroom, administering medication, or even bringing you food. If deemed necessary, they will also help you exercise, taking you for short walks around the floor or the grounds. You will probably get a visit from your doctor at least once a day, and only once they deem you ready for discharge can you leave the hospital. However, the standards for leaving the hospital are often that you can eat, drink, breathe, and urinate without assistance. This usually doesn’t take into account the ability to do a lot of other things necessary for everyday life.
Though you have been discharged and deemed healthy enough not to need 24/7 surveillance by medical professions, that doesn’t mean that you are fully recovered and ready to go back to work or your everyday life. Especially for surgeries that affect mobility, you will likely find that many everyday things have become painful or otherwise impossible to achieve on your own.
Sometimes a family member has enough free time to provide the kind of post-operative care in Kendall needed after recovering from surgery. Still, more often, it is a significant obstacle for their everyday lives. Most people have jobs that require them to leave the recovering family member at home on their own for long periods, with nobody to help them get to the bathroom or make sure they take their medications at the appropriate time.
In these cases, it is much better to use a caretaker agency like Amerihealth to hire someone to ensure that you recover as quickly and safely as possible.
Once you have decided to hire a caretaker, the choices can seem overwhelming. There are several different kinds of caretaker that you can hire, from uncertified caretakers who will help with housework and aid in doing simple household errands to fully certified RNs who can administer medication and handle medical equipment like IVs. Here are a few tips to decide what you or your loved one might need.
Doctors are different. Some doctors will send you home earlier than others, especially concerning how much they know your insurance will cover. If your doctor has decided to send you home, especially early, you might need a caretaker who can administer medication, like an RN or an LPN. You will also need someone who can handle helping you to the bathroom and even helping you shower.
Different surgeries mean different effects. If you had major surgery on your foot, then you might not need as much help showering or eating, but more help to do necessary errands.
This doesn’t determine the type so much as it determines the amount of time you will need a caretaker for. If your family member works full time, then you probably need to hire someone on a 9-5 basis, or until you come home from work. However, even if your family member stays at home with kids or works from home, hiring a caretaker part-time can help as well.
If you think that you or a loved one could benefit from extra care after their in-hospital post-operative care, don’t hesitate to contact us at Amerihealth today!