Post-op care is essential after you return home from a hospital. Being home following surgical treatment is different from being in a hospital where medical needs are met professionally and on-time. At home, the same degree of care and expertise must be observed. With the assistance of skilled caregivers from Mom's Home Care, you can have home-based post-op care that boosts your spirit and assists in the recovery process. For many years, we have offered personalized services to thousands of patients in Los Angeles.

What is Post-Operative Care?

Post-operative care is the type of care you receive following a surgery. The care you require depends mainly on the kind of operation you had and your medical history. It can include wound care and pain management.

It begins immediately after the surgery. Therefore, it is essential to follow the doctor's recommendation after being discharged. Be sure to take your medication as prescribed, keep follow-up appointments, and watch out for complications.

You may also require a live-in caregiver to prepare your food, tend the wounds, clean you, and support you whenever you move. Discussed in the sections below are services that your competent home caregiver can offer.

Light Housekeeping

Cleaning your home can be hard due to the difficulty moving for long or inability to reach high areas. With light housekeeping services, you can enjoy living in a clean, organized, and neat home. Engaging a living-in caregiver can make the difference and help you live independently in your home for long.

At Mom's Home Care, we offer numerous housekeeping activities from doing dishes to decluttering a closet to vacuuming.

Household Cleaning

Your caregiver will assist with daily house cleaning chores, including dusting, mopping, vacuuming, organizing closets, sweeping, and watering plants.

Cleaning the Bathroom

Cleaning your bathroom helps stop the spread of bacteria. Moreover, it helps make sure you can use your shower, toilet, and sink safely and free from spills and clutter that cause falls. The service involves cleaning your toilet, wiping vanity, mopping, freshening towels, and scrubbing the tub, shower, and sink.

Bedroom Cleaning

A tidy and clean bedroom is conducive to your sleep. Bedroom cleaning roles include laundry, arranging closets, making the bed, folding and ironing clothes, and changing beddings.

Cleaning the Kitchen

Most surgery patients have challenges keeping up with routine kitchen chores. Consequently, food spoils and dishes go uncleaned. Essential kitchen chores include emptying garbage, doing dishes, throwing away stale food, and putting away groceries.

Pet Care

Taking care of your pet could be both physically and mentally demanding. Your caregiver can aid with pet care by walking your pet, taking your pet to a groomer or vet, ensuring the pet drinks water, and feeding your pet.

Medication Reminders

Taking medication as prescribed is essential to your aged parent's health. However, most senior individuals have challenges in managing their medication. It can result in an increased risk of falling, hospital readmission, health condition progression, increased healthcare expenses, and reduced functional ability.

Fortunately, any experienced caregiver in Los Angeles knows the importance of medication compliance and monitors medication, offering you peace of mind.  This is realized by assisting your loved one:

  • Take the right drugs in the correct dosage and at the right time
  • Mitigate risks that come with side effects, hazardous drug interaction, and allergic reactions
  • Eliminate missed doses

Additionally, your living in caregiver will:

  • Fill a pillbox with the prescribed amount
  • Record when you took your medication
  • Discard off expired drugs
  • Report any medical non-compliance
  • Pick up your prescription at a pharmacy

Transportation Services

It is not easy to talk to your sick parent about their driving inability even when it is clear they can no longer drive safely. It is because transportation is critical to different aspects of their life.

With transportation services, your sick parent can maintain their independence while eliminating feelings of loneliness and isolation. The services help your loved one go to:

  • Medical appointments- Undergoing surgery involves numerous medical issues that require frequent medical attention. The living-in caregiver can take them to and from doctor and therapy appointments.
  • Outpatient procedures- Your caregiver can accompany your sick parent following a hospital discharge or same-day surgery. The service makes sure they have a smooth transfer post-hospital and receive all the necessary home care services.
  • Grocery shopping and personal errands- You might experience challenges going shopping and running errands, including making trips to the post office or bank. If your caregiver accompanies you, you will feel less lonely and appreciate the ability to maintain your daily routines.
  • Personal care appointments- Your caregiver can escort you to your hair appointment and other grooming activities. Grooming and personal care are essential to your health and help you look and feel your best.
  • Prescription pick-up- A proficient home-based caregiver will take you to the pharmacy. They will also schedule your refills as well as ask the pharmacist the right questions that result in medication compliance.
  • Social events and activities- Engaging in family events, social gatherings, and religious activities is crucial to the quality of life. At Mom's Home Care, our transportation services are designed to help you maintain social independence while lowering the risk of depression and social isolation.

Wound Care

Although not all surgeries cause wounds that need extensive care, to prevent infection, it is vital to monitor even tiny incisions as they recover. It involves helping you change dressings and maintain tubes and drains. If the wounds are not healing properly because you are confined in bed, your caregiver will work with your doctors to develop an effective plan that encourages healing.

Observing Post-Operative Progress

It is worth noting that your caregiver works with your doctor when it comes to tracking, monitoring, and documenting your recovery progress. The caregiver can also track and record your signs such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and temperature. They will also keep your family members and friends updated on your progress.

Additionally, your living-in caregiver knows the warning signs and abnormalities like fever or breathing challenges to look for. Should an emergency fail to happen during the recovery process, your caregiver knows how to remain relaxed and keep you calm as well.

Pain Management

Healing is a painful process, particularly immediately after the surgical procedure. Taking note of the pain levels helps determine if healing is taking place or not. By supporting and monitoring you, the caregiver will remind you to take your medication as prescribed; it might alleviate pain. The caregiver can also offer comfort and moral support.

Transfer and Ambulation

Following a surgical procedure, you might require help while sitting down, standing up, keeping your balance, and moving from point A to point B. Sometimes, ambulation is not possible, and you might require a transfer. 

The physical strain which assisted ambulation and transfer puts a caregiver could be overwhelming and hazardous if not well-trained. It is because every movement can result in imbalance or dizziness.

Any experienced living-in caregiver will first assess your physical condition, pain levels and injuries, and the ability to move. That way, they can tell the different assistance devices, including walkers, canes, and wheelchairs you may need.

If you have been prescribed bed rest as part of the healing process, the caregiver will move you from time to time and engage you in bed-based movements and exercises that help your wounds heal and improve your blood circulation.

Personal Care

Personal care services are offered to help you realize daily activities. Your caregiver should be able to offer assistance when needed, allowing you to recover in the comfort of your home. It also brings your freedom back and peace of mind knowing you are in good hands.

Your caregiver can offer personal care services like:

  • Shower and bathtubs are notorious for being slippery. With a living-in caregiver, you don't have to worry about taking a shower or bath.
  • Grooming- Every person wants to look their best. Your caregiver will assist you with dental care, shaving, hair care, among other grooming tasks.
  • Incontinence care- Hygiene is essential to human health. This is particularly true if you have challenges with bowel and bladder regulation. Your care attendant should be able to help you manage incontinence while giving you the respect you deserve.
  • Getting dressed- Do you have challenges getting dressed or undressing? Do you experience difficulties tying shoes or fastening buttons? Caregiver services could be personalized to suit your routine, preferences, and needs.
  • Toileting assistance- To live independently, you need to use the toilet, go to the bathroom safely, and clean yourself. Your caregiver can offer the required help and ensure you are safe and comfortable as far as toileting activities are concerned.

Food Preparation

Most seniors don't get the nutrition they require while living in their homes, even when their health condition needs a specialized diet. More often than not, an aged individual living alone depends on frozen foods or prepared foods with a lot of salt, not forgetting other undesirable ingredients.

Meal preparation services can encourage you to eat well-balanced food at home. It also helps you keep fit, sleep well, and be both mentally and physically healthy.

A dedicated caregiver can offer the following services:

Meal Planning Assistance

Meal planning after surgery can be demanding, and there are various benefits of planning your meals early with the assistance of a living-in caregiver. For instance, the caregiver will begin the meal planning process by assisting you in discarding expired foods. Then, you can come up with a grocery list and shop for groceries.

When a caregiver plans and prepares a meal, your parent eats healthy, well-balanced, and nutritious food. Moreover, the caregiver can manage your grocery shopping and save money and time.

Meal Preparation

The meal preparation service makes sure you eat healthy foods. The caregiver can cook meals for a day or week, adhering to all dietary restrictions.

Additionally, the kitchen is one of the most dangerous spaces in the house. It is vulnerable to burns, injuries, and accidents. A living-in caregiver can be accompanying you as you cook and function as a line of defense.

Feeding Services

You might also require assistance with feeding following the surgery. Your caregiver is trained to offer feeding services and companionship while eating, helping you handle cutlery, and cut food up.

The caregiver will also monitor your food and fluid intake throughout the day. Any trained living-in caregiver knows dehydration signs and will make sure you take the necessary food and fluid intake to maintain a fit soul, mind, and body.

Companionship

Companion care is a service that involves hiring a home-based caregiver and ensuring the patient's social, emotional, safety, health, and cognitive needs are met. It helps your loved one stay connected to people. It also encourages your sick parent to rediscover their passions, hobbies, and circumstances that maximize their quality of life. 

The caregiver will encourage your parent to:

  • Maintain constant communication with loved ones
  • Reading books and playing games
  • Watch sunset
  • Spend time with pets
  • Exercise

Additionally, the caregiver can keep an eye on your aged parent's living condition. For instance, they will ensure the home is clean and hazard-free. They will also alert you if there is anything that requires your attention or immediate medical care.

Communicate with Your Doctor and Prepare for Your Medical Appointment

Your living-in caregiver will maintain constant communication with your doctor, enabling the doctor to develop an effective treatment plan. To ensure you recover fully, any experienced caregiver will:

  • Come up with a list of your medical concerns and prioritize them. The list will include any new symptoms observed, reaction to the medication, future prognosis, and sensitive topics like incontinence.
  • Bring all your medications to the doctor's appointment, including vitamins, supplements, over-the-counter drugs, and prescription drugs.
  • Carry your insurance plan and names of all health experts you have seen recently.

Find a Qualified Live-in Caregiver Near Me

Post-op care plays a significant role in how fast you recover from the operation. Dedicated caregivers at Mom's Home Care offer different services that can make the recovery process tolerable and reduce the recovery time. Consequently, it enables you to return to your active and regular lifestyle shortly following the surgical treatment. For more information on how we can help you, call us today at 323-244-4789 if you are in Los Angeles.