Once a person is discharged from the hospital or rehab center, they may feel like they are only partially equipped to go home. The client can be overwhelmed just focusing on getting well again. The discharge instructions they are given often have confusing information about medications, community resources, referrals, and a list of do’s and don’ts related to their diet and/or therapy.
Most clients will have Skilled Home Care ordered by their primary doctor that will follow up with them at home. A visiting physical therapist and occupational therapist is part of that service. They will each visit for one hour, a couple days a week in order to give the client a list of things they should continue doing the other five days of the week. This is where our Home Health Aide, HHA, can be a real help.
Our HHA’s have the ability to help a client follow through with their therapy on the days the P.T. and O.T. are not there. The more the client can do on a daily basis, (with their doctor’s permission) the better the physical strengthening and the emotional benefits will be.
It can be a real help for a client using a walker if they have someone standing by when they go for their morning walk. Using equipment like a treadmill or a recumbent bike, can be monitored by our staff. For client’s that cannot get out of bed due to restrictions our HHA can provide help with range of motion or holding the colorful resistance bands while the client does what they can.
The emotional importance of rehabilitative therapy is great. Almost as great as the physical benefits. For clients who have had a stroke, a hip fracture, a traumatic brain injury or those recovering after a pneumonia we find they will recover faster and better when at home. Our rehabilitation work is a strong part of our service, and we look forward to hearing from you.
