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Welcome Home — You're In Good Hands
“In youth we run into difficulties; in old age
difficulties run into us.”
—Josh Billings |
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After
a hospital stay or extended convalescence, returning
home can be both exciting and anxiety-filled. A
full-service care-giving agency has many things to offer
your client on their return home, one of which is a
“Welcome Home” service.
The Welcome Home service is a way to take the worry out
of your client’s return by assisting them with
non-medical transport, getting them settled, and
comfortably adjusted back in their home. |
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Studies have shown that when
a patient has an after-care discharge plan, their
recovery rate improved, particularly in patients 60 and
older. In one study done by Health Services Research,
meeting certain needs of patients through discharge
planning may save future costs by reducing rates of
complications and hospital readmissions.
“Hospital professional staff have had a long-standing
commitment to meet the continuing care needs of
hospitalized patients discharged into the community:
both to enhance a smooth transition from hospital to
home and to ensure that the patient will function at an
optimal level,” says Joyce Mamon, et al, in the "Impact
of hospital discharge planning on meeting patient needs
after returning home" research study.
The study further points out that almost all patients 60
and older have after-care needs after leave the
hospital.
Another study by Jones, Densen, and Brown (1989) found
that “the proportion of those receiving help from
relatives decreased over time, while the proportion
receiving paid help increased.”
These studies help to show the importance of after-care
assistance. Whether it is an initial “Welcome Home”
service or long-term assistance, your patient is better
served by an after-care plan.
Agencies that include a Welcome Home plan offer services
such as transportation home, light housekeeping, meal
preparation, medication reminder, companionship, and
more. The Welcome Home service may be just enough to get
your client settled and at ease again in their home. Or,
it may be just the beginning of longer-term assistance.
Whatever your patient’s needs, after-care planning is an
important first step to regaining health, independence,
and longevity. |
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