Steps to Take When One of Your Elderly Parents is Suddenly Hospitalized

An emergency can crop up anytime but we often dread the thought that all of a sudden we have to admit one of our beloved parents to the hospital due to a sudden heart attack, stroke or any kind of serious wound or injury. Being prepared for an emergency hospitalization is necessary but often we want to ignore the fact that our beloved parents may need to visit a hospital for some very serious reasons. Today, in this blog I am going to discuss some important steps that we all should take when one of our elderly parents is suddenly hospitalized. 

    ⇒ Have an open conversation with hospital staff especially with the doctors and nurses about the health status of your loved ones. Most of the time we are so tensed during emergencies we either forget or become confused about whom to talk to, what to ask. You need to identify the nurses who are responsible for taking care of your loved ones because interacting with them regularly will provide you with all the important updates regarding your parent’s health also if possible try to speak with the primary doctor assigned for your loved ones at least once daily to clarify any issues or any medical term you are finding difficult to understand.

    ⇒ If your beloved parent is going to be in the hospital for quite a time then pack the bag of your loved ones with all important pieces of stuff like their daily medicines, toiletries, comfortable clothes, hearing aids( if they use), glasses and other necessities.

    ⇒ You also need to arrange the money for the treatment of your loved ones. It is important to determine if your parents have any mediclaims or other private insurance related to health and how much it will cover etc. Prior planning for emergencies is important so that you don’t feel overly stressed. So have an open discussion with your parents regarding their savings and investments and also give them an idea about your’s to cope up well with emergencies.

    ⇒ Following hospitalization, a patient will have constant monitoring of their health to prevent any further issues or problems.  Your beloved senior may need some special medical equipment or rehab assistance programs like speech therapy, physiotherapy etc after their discharge from the hospital to come back to their normal self. So, you need to continue communicating with the medical team of your loved ones regarding status updates and long–term predictions for their health and recovery so that you have a crystal clear idea about what your next step will be to help your parents recover quickly. Don’t forget to take notes about the DO’S and Don’ts which you need to follow after your parent is discharged from the hospital.

    ⇒ You can also hire a professional caregiver for your beloved senior because sometimes keeping track of their health conditions and their daily medications may seem challenging for you when you have a job.

These are some of the steps which you can implement in your life when one of your parents is suddenly hospitalized so that you can help your loved ones recover quickly.