Why Is Home Care Preferable To Long-term Hospitalization?
When people feel unwell, going to the hospital for treatment is automatic. It’s a go-to place to get medical help and feel better. The irony, though, is most patients can only stay for a few hours here but not for long-term hospitalization. Many choose home care instead of receiving care. Do you wonder why?
What does hospitalization mean for some patients?
According to several studies, patients experience anxiety and depression when hospitalized. And most likely, elderlies are more prone to this.
The triggers for patients to feel negatively in the hospital can be the following:
Feel like they don’t belong – Patients feel isolated even if they can interact with fellow care recipients, their carers, or hospital employees. It takes time for them to feel genuinely comfortable with their company.
The usual perception is that they only get to know each other for a couple of hours or days. They are not their friends and family members who can be very open about anything. It’s their loved ones back home who will surely listen to their stories or complaints and understand their needs.
Fear of getting infected – Sometimes, it is in the hospital where patients also get infected with diseases. These are also called HAIs, which can mean hospital-acquired or healthcare-associated infections. Another term for this is nosocomial infections.
According to Healthline.com, HAIs are unrelated to the initial health concerns of patients. Typically, these occur after days of hospital admission (2), operation (30), or discharge (3). The symptoms vary, but some of the common are UTI (urinary tract infection), pneumonia, meningitis, and gastroenteritis. The patients prone to HAIs are generally those who stay longer in the hospital, particularly in ICU. Some of the most at risk are elderlies, especially those over 70 years old, with weak immune systems and are comatose. On the other hand, the spread of infections can be caused by viruses, fungus, or bacteria.
Although most hospitals work hard to prevent HAIs, some people are still cautious or fear the possibility of getting infected.
Loose privacy and independence – For some patients, staying in the hospital is like letting go of their privacy and freedom. It may be because of things like they share a room or facility with others, which can cause inconvenience for them.
Some patients also feel limited to only particular areas, activities, and hours of visit in the hospital. It is far from what they can do in their abodes. Apart from these, they also need to wait for the availability of nurses or doctors.
What do you get from home care?
Instead of hospitalization, many patients and their families prefer home care because it provides the solutions they want when receiving long-term treatment.
With reliable and professional care providers, they get individualized services for their individual healthcare needs. For example, a patient can get scheduled, urgent, or 24/7 support from dedicated nursing assistants. And since it’s their home, they feel more relaxed and comfortable receiving care. Moreover, they will not feel isolated because they are close to their loved ones and constant, dependable companions.
If you want to know more about home care, you can contact Living Well Family Care. The company has nursing services to assist patients who can receive treatment at home.
