Rehab for Elderly Patients After Hospital Stay: What To Know
After a stay in the hospital, it’s understandable to have many questions about a parent’s prognosis. In many cases, the answer to those questions will depend on the kind of rehabilitation services involved with recovery. Since there are many kinds of elderly rehabilitation, navigating through the process can be confusing. But learning a few more things about rehab for seniors can help orient you in the process.
Reasons for Rehab After Hospital Stay
With old age, our immune system weakens, our bodies heal slower, and inactivity can become more dangerous. Accidents, injuries, and surgeries are generally more hazardous. And the prolonged recovery times associated with these kinds of medical events can also mean that seniors are at greater risk of losing some of their functionality during the recovery process.
That’s where rehabilitation comes into play. Doctors might recommend rehab after a hospital stay for an extensive range of health problems. That might include treatment for things like fractures, stroke, heart attack, joint injuries, cancer, pneumonia, osteoporosis, brain injuries, and so on. Offered as both inpatient and outpatient services, rehab programs are essentially designed to ensure a person can recover and retain as much of their functionality as possible.
Rehabilitation Care Options
Since every senior has a different range of rehabilitation needs, goals for treatment can vary just as widely. Rehab for seniors can also span many different timeframes depending on the issues at hand. For instance, a short-term rehab program might emphasize learning to use mobility aids, while a long-term program might involve regaining lost functionality.
With that said, the form of treatment used in rehab programs is usually a combination of physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy. Between those three types of therapy, seniors can find assistance with communication issues, memory problems, fine motor skill enhancement, mobility assistance, pain management, and so on.
Rehabilitation Services
Rehab for elderly folks can take many forms depending on the kinds of challenges that need to be overcome. Some kinds of senior rehab challenges are well suited for a home environment, while others may not be. As always, it’s best to consult with your physician to make these kinds of decisions. Though medical outcomes are hard to predict, arranging for the most appropriate rehabilitation care is an excellent predictor for seniors retaining as much of their independence as possible.
