At some point in their aging journey, your senior loved one will likely need specialized care. This moment often comes after a period of hospitalization.
Because these moments require families to make important decisions, it’s helpful to understand the differences between post hospital care and long term care. This blog will explain those terms, and how to know when your senior loved one might need each kind of care.
What is Post Hospital Care?
Post hospital care, also known as post acute care, may be necessary after a hospital stay due to a serious condition such as surgery, illness, or an accident. Skilled nursing care is available at post hospital care facilities. These are specialized services provided by licensed professionals. Skilled nursing care benefits seniors who don’t need long term assistance, but do need some help getting back to their optimal level of health.
Seniors often face additional needs after they get out of the hospital, and this is when post hospital care becomes necessary. Your senior loved one is likely to require rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational, or speech therapy. They may also need help with the activities of daily living.
Post hospital care is temporary care immediately following a hospitalization. These full-service facilities provide 24-hour assistance with medications, mobility, meals, wound care, and more. The facilities may also offer in-house rehabilitation.
The Rehabilitation Journey
The main goal of post hospital care is rehabilitation so the patient may return home to a lesser level of care. If a surgery is planned for a senior loved one, caregivers can schedule post hospital care services in advance. For example, after planned joint replacement or heart surgery.
However, post hospital care can also be an option after an unplanned health episode, such as a heart attack, stroke, or the worsening of a chronic condition.
Rehabilitation and therapy services are customized for each patient. Depending on the patient’s needs they can include, but are not limited to:
- Physical therapy for flexibility, mobility, and more.
- Occupational therapy for assistance with the activities of daily living (ADLs).
- Speech therapy for communication or cognitive skills and more.
Marquis’ post hospital care facilities offer the right balance of therapeutic rehabilitation and comfort. Our care plans are personalized for your loved one and we communicate every step of the way. Our rehabilitation team offers multiple types of therapy six to seven days a week. Have questions or want to learn more about how we help with the healing process? We invite you to contact us today.
What is Long Term Care?
A long term care facility provides round the clock care when residents find that they are not able to return to a prior or lesser level of care. At this point in their aging journey, a loved one may need continued assistance with the activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and eating. In addition, it’s possible medical care needs may have become more complicated and the availability of 24 hour clinical care is necessary.
Long term care provides not just assistance with daily living, but also meets more complicated medical needs such as management of chronic conditions, serious health issues, and multiple medications. Patients in long term care require someone looking after their needs 24 hours a day.
As your senior loved one’s care needs change over time, we provide essential support throughout the transition. Our long term living and post hospital care options are usually in the same facility. This can help seniors in post hospital care transition smoothly to long term care should they need to. This makes the transition less disruptive because your loved one is already familiar with both the staff and the atmosphere. This convenience can also feel reassuring to families, knowing their senior loved one will continue receiving the excellent clinical care they’ve come to expect from Marquis.
We invite you to learn more about senior care and living options. We’ve created a Guide to Senior Care Options for Your Aging Parent, which provides an overview of a variety of living choices.
Marquis’ Post Hospital Care and Long Term Care Options for Your Senior Loved One
At Marquis, we understand that navigating senior care can be difficult to both understand and manage. No two aging journeys are the same. Whether your senior loved one requires specialized care following a hospital stay or long-term support, Marquis offers options to meet their unique needs.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and our commitment to your loved one’s care.
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