Illness can be a major setback in life. Undergoing surgery, for example, can have you lying in bed for days or even weeks before getting fit to continue with your daily chores.
During that time, many people prefer to heal at home instead of spending time in nursing homes, hospitals or health care facilities. The reasons for this are pretty obvious. One, the cost of staying at some special care facilities is a major concern. Also, everyone feels more comfortable staying at home and being around family and friends. That said, here are some of the factors you would want to consider if you or your loved one is to stay at home during the healing period.
Consider some changes in your home
Bed type and bed location
One thing to change in your house is the bed. If your bed was a double-decker or the raised types, you may consider buying a comfortable floor bed or even dismantling your bed to get the mattress on a clean floor. Where possible, you can also rent a hospital bed that will give you easy mobility and a night of good comfortable sleep. Again, the location of the bed matters the most. You would want to have your bed placed next to the washroom and on the ground floor to minimize the need to use the stairs.
Bathing equipment
Patients recovering from surgery are often advised to take up to weeks before taking a bath so as to avoid infections and the adhesives from falling off prematurely. For patients recovering from other ailments, taking a shower should be an everyday task. Their weak bodies may, however, require that they use a more comfortable bathtub and special shower panels as compared to the conventional shower heads. To browse some of the best shower panels for your recovering patient, check here and choose the shower models that will serve the purpose. When selecting a shower panel, look for one with a thermostatic control valve, a handheld showerhead, and varied spray settings.
Seek assistance
During the recovery period, the body isn’t yet strong to endure the everyday tasks and duties such as climbing up and down the stairs or visiting the washrooms. Sometimes you’ll be forced to stay in bed while getting better day in, day out. This means that navigating around the house is unlikely and hence you will need some help answering the call of nature.
Indoor supervision is also necessary so that in case you’re not feeling well, there’s someone around. Finding a family member or a healthcare professional will go a long way in keeping you company and attending to your needs. Before being discharged from the hospital, make arrangements with your doctor or family to have a health aide assigned to you. He or she will pay you a visit once in a while during the recovery period.
Upgrade the diet
Your body will benefit a lot from a healthy and balanced diet during recovery. To ensure that you’re following the right diet that won’t affect but help with the current situation, obtain a dietary plan from a qualified nutritionist. During this period, the body’s immune system is very active and eating the right type of food groups will prove quite beneficial.
More often, the body will require extra energy and protein when recovering in the forms of build-up drinks and nutritional supplements. Proper nutrition not only boost the immune system but also prevent muscle wasting and reduces the risks of further illness.
Maintain cleanliness
Healing after surgery, illness or injury requires the highest levels of personal hygiene. Personal hygiene starts with proper hand cleaning to eating clean and well-cooked foods. Cleaning the room on a daily basis will also prevent germs and odor build-up.
Wound healing at home, for example, is so critical that many often find themselves susceptible to other infections. Some of the crucial factors that determine the rate of wound healing are; personal hygiene, patient’s age, and nutritional intake. In post-surgical care, hygiene is more of a prescription. Proper cleanliness not only promotes faster wound recovery, but also prevent certain ailments such as bacterial infections.
Get yourself distracted
Staying in bed all day can be the most boring thing to think of. There comes a time in life when you don’t get to choose what you want. During such times, the best thing to do is to get yourself distracted by the small little things. Think of something you like to create or do with little to no energy. Maybe watching your favorite reality show or getting creative with some knitting project. You can also choose to switch from one hobby to another; just make sure it’s less-demanding. Instead of sleeping during the day, ask your family members or friends to keep you company while playing table games or trading stories. This helps avoid boredom and possible causes of stress.
Returning to your regular routine
Before you get back to your day-to-day chores, you got to begin making progress and letting your muscles do some little work. Be it taking a leisure walk around the house or doing the small chores such as making your bed. If you’re recovering from surgery in your pelvic area, knee or hands; you may need some help moving around. You can use any walking aids such as crutches if you can’t stand on your own. A little progress every day will see your motor neurons adapt fast to the recovery process. Any exercise you do should be simultaneous and progressive to avoid overworking the recovering body parts.
They say east to west, home is best and this seems to be nothing but the truth. Spending weeks in a hospital bed are something everyone wishes it won’t happen in their lifetime. When an unfortunate event happens and you find yourself in a hospital bed, it’s not the end of the world. It’s probably a simple fix before you get back to your normal life. Nonetheless, when you have the option to heal at home, the better. The above tips will make sure you have your priorities right every time you choose to heal at home.
