Keeping seniors healthy and out of the hospital is the goal of Home Instead Senior Care’s latest public education program.
Lakelyn Hogan, Home Care Consultant, says before implementing the new program, Home Instead surveyed nurses who were primarily working with seniors and found that almost half of hospitalizations can be prevented by taking simple measures.
Hogan says these include reducing the risks of falls and injuries in the home, encouraging seniors to eat healthy and stay mentally and physically active.
"Making sure you are following your doctor’s orders. So after your checkup are you taking the medications at the appropriate times? Are you reading your doctor’s orders correctly and implementing them in your everyday life? I think sometimes seniors might feel a little off or their loved ones might see that has changed in them but think ‘Oh we can go to the doctor next month,’ when those symptoms can be a key indicator that something is going wrong.”
Hogan says getting the appropriate medical help as early as possible can help mitigate serious problems. For more information on keeping seniors healthy, the website is HomeInstead.com.