Skip to main content

Reducing Readmission to Hospitals and Improving Quality of Life

By
By: Mohamed Basha, RN CMC BA AAS AA
Care Manger Certified & Aging Life Care Professionals

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, 1 in 5 Medicare patients discharged from the hospital are readmitted within 30 days. Most readmission are seniors and they often occur because of medication problems, nutrition mismanagement, falls in the home, and not following up with the doctor. Safety issues, nutrition and hydration challenges, limited support, and overwhelming responsibilities can make returning home from the hospital a difficult transition.  Often these patients do not meet the criteria for Home Health Care such as skilled nursing services or physical therapy. 

Hospitals are under increasing pressure to reduce readmission rates under the Affordable Healthcare Act’s Hospital Re-admissions Reduction Program which lays out a plan to cut Medicare payments for under performing hospitals.  Numerous studies have shown the importance of post-discharge care in preventing readmission. In particular, using home care with a professionally-led transitional team has been shown to significantly reduce readmission.  A study conducted at Baylor Medical Center found that a nurse-led transitional program reduced adjusted 30-day readmission rates by 48%.

TLC HomeCare Services provides home care services, enabling seniors to transition and remain safely in their homes.  Furthermore, TLC provides care services to people of all ages, physical conditions and cognitive abilities. TLC HomeCare helps seniors and those with disabilities live longer, healthier, and more independent lives in the comfort of familiar surroundings. Home care is something that keeps families together, helps them adjust to a new lifestyle, and affords greater dignity.

TLC HomeCare services are supervised and coordinated by Registered Nurses. This unique touch gives the patient and their family greater peace of mind knowing that their health and wellness are incorporated into the services that they receive. TLC creates a custom Care Plan that is designed to meet an individual’s physical and psycho-social needs. TLC evaluates client’s needs and preferences to make the best possible match with a caregiver.  

TLC’s caregivers can assist with the tasks of daily living such as medication reminders, meal preparation, light housekeeping, shopping, transportation and companionship.  Personal care including help with bathing, dressing, toileting and ambulation are also part of the services that are provided.
TLC’s caregivers are carefully screened, trained, and bonded. The scheduling, payroll, taxes, insurance, and Workers Compensation are all handled by TLC HomeCare.  TLC provides its clients 24/7 around-the-clock on-call support to offer the best service and a peace of mind. 

A trusted, experienced home care agency such as TLC HomeCare can provide peace of mind, improved health outcomes and a better quality of life for you and your loved ones.  Making homecare part of the discharge plan can ultimately reduce hospital readmission by optimizing wellness, independence, and safety, while keeping seniors where they want to be: at home.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why I love my job by Sherry Lowell

By
The reasons I became an LNA/Caregiver, is because I felt the need to give back and felt there's a need for people that can no longer do for themselves; or family members are exhausted from the care they have given to a loved one. I feel with our veterans and the elderly, there is a need that I feel is tremendous and my chance to give back for the freedom they have given us.  I initially became a licensed nurse's assistant because of my daughter's passing. I wanted to show the compassionate side while grieving for my daughter. I now feel it's my pleasure and devote love for the work I do. Each person I care for or do something for is more my friends than clients.  I feel that since coming to TLC I have improved on many things. TLC is a compassionate company and shows us as LNA's or caregivers that we are appreciated and we then show our caring and love for the company. While working for TLC it's easy to fulfill my calling. I've been doing this work fo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why I became a caregiver? By: Beverly Hughes

By
Why I became a caregiver? By: Beverly Hughes Being a caregiver has been my passion in life. I started giving care when I was just 12 years old. That was a good 19 years ago, but it feels like it was just the other day. Back then, I would typically spend nights and weekend at my best friend’s house. Her mom had live-in clients. My thinking then could be explained in two short sentences: Wow, I can't wait for Friday. And then, TGIF, I get to spend the weekends staying up late, watching movies and having limited or no rules. While all this seemed to be the life, it wasn't until one night when I heard a little old lady praying and thanking God just how thankful she was to have a caregiver. Some time went on and I didn't think much of it. Until one day, that same little old lady took my hand and said "dear someday this will be your mom". From that day on, I provided care in any way I could, to anybody in need. Brushing dentures and washing urinated clothes ...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Story to becoming a Caregiver by Yenda’Me Malia, LNA

By
I grew up in Claremont, New Hampshire with my mother, father, and older brother, Tony. All of us were healthy, except for Mum, she was always sick. I cannot remember a time in my childhood, or my adulthood when she did not have something wrong with her. She had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and diabetes, to name a few. She fought hard to be well, and, with the exception of all her life-threatening illnesses, she was able to lead a somewhat normal life. There were, however, a lot of trips to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, a lot of check-ups with her general practitioner and a lot of treatments; some common, some experimental, some that could kill her. As a young child in elementary and middle school, I worried about my mother all the time. There were many days I envisioned coming home from school to find her deceased, and it terrified me. When I knew she was having a particularly bad day, I would do extra chores to help her out, so she could rest. I knew, from that young age...
2 comments
Read more