Enhancing Senior Health: 5 Preventative Home Care Strategies to Avoid Hospital Stays
Discover how Home Instead Poole's tailored home care prevents hospital stays through personalised, proactive measures, to stay well at home.
At Home Instead in Poole, we believe that the best place to live well is at home, where personalised and compassionate care can make all the difference. While hospitals are vital for acute care and continue to save lives, most of us would prefer to avoid hospital stays.
With new facilities at Poole Hospital scheduled to open in Spring 2025 enhancing our local healthcare infrastructure, it is a fitting time to focus on preventative measures that keep our older adults healthy and out of the hospital. This approach can be equally effective in supporting older adults after hospital discharge too.
Here’s a helpful list of 5 key preventative measures we can all take to stay well at home.
Five key preventative actions to keep older adults healthy at home:
1. Work with your trusted medical practitioner
Working closely with a GP or a medical practitioner is essential. As a home care team, we can ensure that medical advice is followed, medications are timely collected and administered and appointments are kept. Our Care Professionals can act as a bridge between clients, families and healthcare providers, ensuring that each aspect of a care plan is executed.
2. Don’t ignore symptoms
Ignoring symptoms can lead to serious health complications. Our Care Professionals are trained to monitor and quickly identify any changes in health, liaising with our local care team, GPs and nursing teams to address symptoms before they escalate into more significant issues.
3. Reduce risks of falls and accidents
Falls are a leading cause of injury among the elderly. We focus on fall prevention strategies, including the installation of home aids like grab rails, alarms and non-slip mats, and providing support with personal care activities such as showering. Ensuring the home environment is safe minimises the risk of accidents.
4. Embrace and encourage active living
Staying active is crucial for both physical and mental health. Our Care Professionals can provide companionship and encourage activities that keep our clients both physically and mentally engaged. Whether it’s a walk in the park, attending a local group (including dementia care support groups if appropriate) or a crossword puzzle, we support our clients in leading a vibrant and active life.
5. Maintain a healthy diet
A nutritious diet is foundational to good health. We assist in re-establishing or maintaining regular eating patterns and preparing home-cooked meals or snacks that cater to the nutritional needs of older adults, for example ensuring they receive plenty of fluids, fruit and veg and a warm meal depending on individual care plans.
Our proactive home care team at Home Instead Poole
By engaging home help early, healthy habits can be maintained and supported and health concerns can be spotted quickly and managed proactively before they worsen. This not only leads to better health outcomes but also maintains the independence of our clients by allowing them to stay in their own homes and avoid extended hospital stays.
To learn more about our unique approach to home care services tailored to your needs in Poole, Ferndown, West Parley, Sandbanks and beyond, call us today on 01202 853198.
