Tips to help seniors avoid hospitalization

Tips to help seniors avoid hospitalization

Lives are saved in hospitals, yet no one is really eager to spend their time there. In the majority, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are of the opinion that staying healthy enough to avoid hospitalization should be the absolute intention. While this holds true for people of all ages, it is especially important for seniors. As natural degeneration takes place, even seemingly healthy seniors find it harder and harder to recover from any injury or ailment. It has been observed that older adults who are hospitalized don’t always go home the same, or at all.

The key to help keep seniors out of the hospital is Support. Family members who care for seniors or senior care professionals hired from home health care services, play as important a role as the medical professionals do, in keeping them healthy and out of the hospitals. There are five major preventive actions that can actively help seniors avoid hospitalization.

Following doctor’s orders
Whether its missing a doctor’s appointment or skipping health maintenance checks, avoiding medication or forgetting to take them altogether; all of these are in defiance to what the doctor prescribes. Failure to follow doctor’s orders can lead to interference in treatment or delay in recovery and eventual hospitalization.

Not ignoring symptoms
As the human body ages, there may be aches and pains that become a part of life. However, in the case of seniors, it is better to be safe than sorry, and to report any unusual pains or feeling of illness, rather than letting it simmer and eventually boiling into something serious.


Reducing risks of falls or accidents
The number one reason seniors are hospitalized is due to a fall or accident. The only way to fix this is by making seniors’ homes free of hazards. Make sure the flooring isn’t slippery and the electrical wiring in good shape. It also helps to install hand rails and support handles in known precarious areas such as bathrooms and near the steps.

Leading a physically and mentally active lifestyle
Physical inactivity can lead to worsening of a chronic condition. Any physical activity as recommended by the healthcare provider must be encouraged and implemented by the family or a senior care provider hired from home healthcare solutions. Although exercise helps keep the brain strong, indulging in some social activity or pursuance of a hobby is also good way to keep mentally fit.


Maintaining a healthy diet
A poor diet is one of the biggest risks to a senior’s health. There are many factors that prevent seniors from eating healthy nutritious food. Change in the taste buds due to medicines is one while inability to cook for themselves is another. While medicines cannot be tampered with to alter the taste of food, there are several nutritious meal service providers who prepare and deliver delicious, wholesome, hygienic meals for all kinds of dietary requirements.

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