Elderly Hospital Admissions: How Home Care Helps Avoid Hospital Stays
Did you know home care helps reduce elderly hospital admissions? Here's how we work with the NHS to support your loved one in Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet.
How Home Care Works with the NHS to Reduce Elderly Hospital Admissions
The leading causes of elderly hospital admissions through A&E or inpatient care are:
- Dementia and cognitive impairment
- Respiratory and heart conditions
- Falls and fractures
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
- Malnutrition
- Dehydration
- And poor mental health
[We discussed these heavily in another article, which you can read here.]
Due to this, most elderly patients are likely to experience average hospital stays of between 10.2 days (ages 64-84) and 12.5 days (aged 85+) (Francesca Cavallaro et al., 2023).
Many patients could be discharged from the hospital much sooner than this, but sadly, the NHS often doesn’t have a safe space to do so. And this can be for many reasons, including a lack of capacity in social care and NHS community services. It can also be due to a lack of family support (not the willingness but the physical and time dedication).
Private home care can provide that bridged support. Here’s how.
What Does Home Care Do That Makes A Difference?
Home care works closely with family carers, GPs and the NHS to deliver clinical, physical, emotional and mental health support.
It bridges a family’s gap in understanding condition-led care or their physical ability to deliver it. It provides expert staff where social care has long waiting lists and works with NHS teams to monitor and deliver clinical plans.
Home care does all of this in the client’s home. The space they know best and the place studies consider to provide a better recovery rate (Sasha Shepperd, MSc, DPhil et al., 2023).
Understanding how hospitalisation happens means that home care providers can tackle the causes by delivering;
- Better hygiene
- Improved nutrition
- Reducing fall risks
- Companionship and social interaction
- Mobility or cognitive function exercise
- Condition-led support
- Condition-specific equipment
- And ultimately, more carer support and education
This reduces the risks of hospitalisation andthe negative impact faced by those discharged from extended hospital stays.
How Home Instead Works With You To Reduce Elderly Hospital Admissions
At Home Instead for Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet, we consciously work with you and your loved one to design a hospital avoidance plan.
It covers all the aspects of your loved one’s health and well-being. It also includes actionable workflows for our attending care professionals.
We have split these considerations into four primary services to give you the help you need when and where you need it.
Home Care in Farnborough, Farnham And Fleet
Our daytime care can cover everything from personal care to nail care and household chores, but it is beneficial in reducing hospitalisation by leading with relationship care. Positive social stimulation is critical in how an older person handles their care journey. That’s why we weave it into everything we do.
Health care at home includes provision for:
- Low-level Dependency Health Care at Home: We can support your loved one in the home they love by monitoring things like blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, performing urinalysis, and providing physical therapy assistance.
- Mid-level Dependency Health Care at Home: We also support those who need bladder washout, suppositories, enemas, digital stimulation, anal irrigation, oxygen, phlebotomy, buccal midazolam and seizure management, diabetic blood glucose and care, wound care, plus nebulisers and suctioning.
- High-level Dependency Health Care at Home: For those who need higher levels of frailty care, we can provide non-invasive ventilation, cough assistance, tracheostomy support and management, and diabetic insulin administration and care.
Overnight Care and Waking Night Care in Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet
Our expert team of carers is available for overnight care so your loved one can feel supported with sleep-in or waking-night services. We tailor their care to condition-led needs so you have the proper care professional doing the right job.
Live-In care in Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet
Home Instead care professionals can provide consistent care around the clock as your loved one’s needs grow. Our Live-in Care service is designed to provide companionship, domiciliary care, and clinical services.
Respite care in Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet
We understand that sometimes you need a helping hand when caring for a loved one. We can help give you space for time away and peace of mind, knowing everything is taken care of.