When Does Your Senior Loved One Need Skilled Nursing Care?
Skilled Nursing Care Annandale VA
As your dad gets older, his health care needs also shift. Discussions are ongoing as to how best to care for him after his heart attack. Should he go into a nursing home? Skilled nursing care is an option you should consider to ensure your dad can recover at home.
IVs
Your dad may need IV medications for pain management, antibiotics, or other medications that are best administered for now through an IV. Instead of having to go to a hospital or clinic to have the IV line set up and medications administered, he can have this service completed at home.
IVs can also help with fluids and nutrients if he’s not eating or drinking well on his own right now. When he no longer needs them, his skilled nursing care provider can remove them without him having to return to the office.
Medical Assessments
Each day, your dad’s cardiologist wants his blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation levels, and breathing rate tracked. There may be other assessments involving blood draws for lab tests. A nurse can help with all of this.
Dietary Instruction
Your dad’s diet may need to change to ensure he’s eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and heart-healthy fats. If he’s not used to focusing on his diet, he’s going to need to learn how to cook for himself. You may need to learn how to plan a heart-healthy menu and cook appropriate foods for him.
A nurse can teach your family this. You’ll learn what he should and shouldn’t eat, how to plan a balanced diet, and even portion control that ensures he’s losing weight without impacting his nutritional needs.
Medication Administration
Following a heart attack, your dad’s taking a lot of prescription pills. Some of them need to be taken on an empty stomach, and others have to be taken with a meal. He has pills that are taken an hour before a meal and others that are taken right before he goes to bed.
A nurse helps with administration. He’ll have the pills given to him, and his nurse will monitor him for troubling side effects. If any issues arise, his nurse can talk to his cardiologist and other doctors. That way they can determine the best course of action, and change the prescription then and there.
Therapeutic Sessions
Finally, your dad could have his physical therapist or occupational therapist work with him at home. He’ll be able to build strength, mobility, and endurance in his home until he’s able to start leaving the home and do things like drive again.
Skilled nursing care is one of the best ways to keep your dad from having to stay in the hospital for longer than he would like. Talk to an agency specialist about your dad’s health and the services that will support his recovery.