How Family Members Can Support Recovery After A Surgery

Each year in the U.S., approximately five million adults 65 or older have surgery, accounting for approximately 33% of surgical procedures. The U.S. population is also currently aging. Consequently, the number of older adults having surgery is expected to increase significantly.

If an older adult in your family needs post-surgery support, you may wonder how to support the recovery process and ensure they receive the rehabilitation services required to ensure a full recovery.

Learning what to say to someone after surgery and the ways to provide post-surgical support will help you support your loved one after their surgery.

What Should Families Expect After Surgery?

Older adults require appropriate post-hospital care after surgery because they’re at risk of mental and physical post-surgical challenges, such as:

• Cognitive decline
• Complications
• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Memory issues
• Pain

Surgery can also affect pre-existing conditions. For example, someone with dementia may experience more issues with confusion and memory after surgery.

How Can You Prepare The Home For Recovery?

You should ensure that the person having surgery has a comfortable place to recover. Ideally, they should have a quiet room with a comfortable bed and blackout curtains, so they can rest during the day as needed.

Also, ensure that the home is safe. Remove tripping hazards and ensure flooring is secure in the rooms they’ll use. Rooms and hallways should be well lit as well. Bathrooms should have grab bars available to help prevent falls, and you can also prevent falls by installing railings along staircases.

How Can You Help With Medications, Mobility, And Follow-Up Appointments?

Assisting with follow-up appointments, medications, and mobility are essential ways of supporting your family members during their recovery.

Follow-Up Appointments

Those who’ve had surgery may have many follow-up appointments to attend, including appointments with:

• Their primary doctor
• Specialists
• Therapists, including occupational, physical, and rehabilitation therapists

Schedule appointments and arrange transportation to doctor appointments and therapy sessions or hire a caregiver to take them. If post-surgery therapy is recommended, it’s important to ensure your family member attends.

For example, the benefits of physical therapy include:

• Faster recovery times
• Increased strength
• Less risk of post-surgical complications
• Pain management and prevention

Medications

Providing medication management protects older adults from forgetting to take their medications or taking more than they should. It can also prevent complications from mixing medications.

Since post-surgery medications are important for recovery, older adults need to take the appropriate number of medications they’re prescribed at the right times.

Mobility

Older adults may need to rebuild their strength after surgery. You can support their mobility by providing assistive devices, such as a cane or a walker. You may also need to provide support when they’re standing or sitting.

Confirm their needs with their doctor when they’re discharged and ensure you or a caregiver will be available to provide the support they need.

Skilled Nursing Care Support

Short-term rehabilitation at a skilled nursing care facility is an option if you’re unable to provide all the support your family member needs.

So, what is short-term rehabilitation? It’s temporary care for those recovering from illness, injury, or surgery.

Patients move to a skilled nursing facility where expert medical teams provide medication management, mobility support, and the follow-up care needed to promote their recovery.

What Warning Signs Require Medical Attention?

After surgery, you should monitor your family member for any signs of infection, such as:

• Chills
• Fever
• Foul odor from the surgical site
• Heavy bleeding
• Pus
• Swelling
• Warmth and redness around the surgical site

Any of these symptoms could indicate the need for medical attention.

After surgery, other signs that indicate older adults may need medical attention include:

• Chest pain
• Coughing up blood
• Difficulty breathing
• Dizziness
• Excessive vomiting
• Pain
• Persistent nausea or inability to eat
• Sudden weakness
• Unusual discharge from surgical site

Since there are many post-surgical symptoms that are normal, it’s important to know how long common post-surgical symptoms typically last. Also, knowing how long post-surgery fatigue typically lasts helps you confirm your family member’s recovery is progressing normally. If symptoms persist longer than normal, you should seek medical care for your loved one.

When Does Recovery Become Too Difficult To Manage At Home?

A family member’s recovery may be too difficult to manage at home for several reasons.

1. Family members aren’t available to provide care: Suppose you work full-time and have children in school. Becoming a full-time caregiver may not be feasible.
2. In-home support isn’t an option: Caregivers can provide in-home support; however, if you’re unable to secure adequate staffing to provide appropriate care, this may not be an option.
3. The home can’t be made safe: It may have multiple levels requiring the use of stairs, poor lighting, or narrow passageways that aren’t big enough for a walker.

How Can Skilled Nursing And Rehabilitation Services Support Recovery?

Skilled nursing facilities provide the rehabilitative services older adults need to promote their full recovery after surgery.

Skilled nursing facilities employ medical professionals, including:

• Doctors
• Occupational therapists
• Nurses
• Physical therapists
• Speech therapists

When an older adult moves to skilled nursing care for rehabilitative services after surgery, a team of experts will create a custom treatment plan designed to help them achieve their recovery goals.

At Monument Health, we welcome family involvement and encourage family members to be actively involved in their family members’ care.