Can anyone recommend what my mom and I will need for my dad when he is out of the hospital?

[DodgerGirl]

This morning we discovered that my dad had to have surgery on his foot and now he's in the hospital recovering and doing very well and I would like some advice on what my mom and I have to do for my father once he's out of the hospital? My dad will be in a cast and will most likely be wheelchair bound for a week or two. According to what Dad told my mom and me his doctor and surgeon told him he cannot stand or lift heavy stuff for long periods of time. Would my mom and I look into getting him physical therapy to help him get well and also would it be better to get Dad a scooter rather than a wheelchair? And would it be good to put handle bars on my parents bed to help Dad get into bed easier as well?
Dodger

 

[lanejudy]

Sorry to hear of his surgery and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Some of these are questions for your dad’s surgeon. There most likely will be PT but the doctor should direct that; he may start with PT and or OT before discharge.

What you can do st home is go through the house making sure pathways are clear of hazards or obstacles — such as remove throw rugs, shift furniture or remove a chair, pick up excess “stuff” that piles up, etc. If your house isn’t already wheelchair accessible it may be hard for him to do many things and you will need to help - particularly in the kitchen. His OT should recommend what he needs in the bathroom — probably a shower seat (maybe a transfer bench if it’s a tub) and a handheld shower wand. Be careful with suction bars or handholds as they may not secure as well as hoped especially if the tub surround is tile or textured. He may not need much extra in the bedroom.

Does your house have stairs? On the outside (steps up to a porch) or inside to any part of the living area? Be sure he talks with his PT/OT about how to deal with stairs. He may be restricted to first-floor living so you and Mom will need to figure out a bedroom space for him if there isn’t already a bedroom on that floor.

Follow the directions and recommendations from his care team. He should ask questions if unsure. Good luck on his recovery.

 

[SueM in MN]

Wishing him quick recovery!

I agree with lanejudy. The surgeon can answer some of the questions and the ‘what does he need questions’ should be part of the discharge assessment. It’s also possible he will be using crutches or a knee scooter during his non-weight bearing time

For the question of ECV vs wheelchair, there are multiple things to consider:
- will his foot need to be elevated? If so, you can get a wheelchair with elevating footrests. It’s harder to elevate with an ECV

- space and navigation in your house? A wheelchair is able to turn and navigate smaller spaces than an ECV. This might especially be important in the bathroom - a wheelchair might be able to get him closer to the toilet and shower/bath
Also, he should be able to sit at the table in a wheelchair, but may need to transfer from an ECV to a chair

- has he used an ECV before? If not, he may still be working on maneuvering skill with it by the time he doesn’t need it any more.

- if you need to leave the house for therapy and bring it with you, are you able to lift and transport an ECV?

If you have steps to get into your house, you can rent a portable ramp. That should be assessed as part of the discharge planning

 

[DodgerGirl]

Sorry to hear of his surgery and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Some of these are questions for your dad’s surgeon. There most likely will be PT but the doctor should direct that; he may start with PT and or OT before discharge.

What you can do st home is go through the house making sure pathways are clear of hazards or obstacles — such as remove throw rugs, shift furniture or remove a chair, pick up excess “stuff” that piles up, etc. If your house isn’t already wheelchair accessible it may be hard for him to do many things and you will need to help - particularly in the kitchen. His OT should recommend what he needs in the bathroom — probably a shower seat (maybe a transfer bench if it’s a tub) and a handheld shower wand. Be careful with suction bars or handholds as they may not secure as well as hoped especially if the tub surround is tile or textured. He may not need much extra in the bedroom.

Does your house have stairs? On the outside (steps up to a porch) or inside to any part of the living area? Be sure he talks with his PT/OT about how to deal with stairs. He may be restricted to first-floor living so you and Mom will need to figure out a bedroom space for him if there isn’t already a bedroom on that floor.

Follow the directions and recommendations from his care team. He should ask questions if unsure. Good luck on his recovery.

My house has two sets of steps one at the front door of my house and one leading to the backyard that's in our family room/dining room and our living room has an armchair and our couch and we also bought Dad a recliner that he operates with a remote but Dad has told Mom and I to make his room in our family room when he gets home from the hospital. Speaking of Dad he is doing very well but the one thing he dislikes in the hospital is the food and he complains about it and wishes not to eat it but he is being a real trooper through it all
Thank you so much for the helpful advice Lanejudy I'll tell my mom about it
Dodger

 

[lanejudy]

Thanks for the update, I’m glad to hear he is doing well. If his hospital allows you to bring in take-out he might like a change of food for dinner one night.

 

[Lewisc]

The hospital should have a person like s social worker or discharge nurse who should review his needs. You should be told what services are covered by your insurance. You may find it easier to pay out of pocket for some items.

 

[mamabunny]

You may be able to reach out to his surgeon's office prior to discharge from the hospital to get some idea of what to expect when he goes home.

Because so many doctor's these days are using patient portals, try to find out if your dad's doctor has a portal where you can leave messages, and correspond with the doctor and/or his nurses, PAs, PT team, etc.

 

[KPeterso]

The hospital should have a person like s social worker or discharge nurse who should review his needs. You should be told what services are covered by your insurance. You may find it easier to pay out of pocket for some items.

Wanted to second this!!! Our local hospital had the social worker / discharge planner come discuss what we might need or not when my Mom got out of the hospital after her heart attack/bypass surgery last year and her knee replacement in 2017. Very different needs from each of those discharges. We discussed options and what we had available and what we might need. They also gave me a lot of paperwork when discharged so I had everything in writing too. And the PT made sure to come once or twice during the time of day that we typically visited so she could show us a couple things (such as how to help her out of the bed after the heart surgery) so she could see that we were capable of taking care of her.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Mom talked to my dad this morning and what he told her was the ambulance service would not be able to get him home and so we have to find another option before Thursday or Friday because that's when the doctor said Dad could go home if all goes well

 

[DisneyMama811]

Mom talked to my dad this morning and what he told her was the ambulance service would not be able to get him home and so we have to find another option before Thursday or Friday because that's when the doctor said Dad could go home if all goes well

Hi Dodger, I'm not sure if you live in US or Canada or somewhere else so I apologize if this doesn't apply, but here in Canada we have something called a "patient transfer service" which is a vehicle like an ambulance and trained staff (not paramedics though) so patients on a bed/stretcher can be transported on it in non emergency situations such as going home from hospital or being moved from home/hospital to a nursing home but it does not take ambulances and paramedics away from emergencies. I suggest googling "patient transfer service near me" to see if they have that in your area, if not contact the hospital discharge planner and they'll be able to tell you your options

 

[DodgerGirl]

Thank you Disneymama for the helpful advice. I have never even heard of a patient transfer service before. But our hospital has vans and ambulances and in some states a van service similar to what senior centers use for the seniors. But that's something Mom and I should look into for Dad
Thanks again for the VERY helpful advice
Dodger

 

[WalkingintheFog]

One thing I’ll mention is make sure you get his prescriptions filled before you get home!

My sister had back surgery & was feeling great, we held off picking up pain meds.
Didn’t realize she was only feeling great because the hospital meds had not yet worn off!
So we had to scramble to get someone out to a pharmacy that was open.

 

[KPeterso]

Mom talked to my dad this morning and what he told her was the ambulance service would not be able to get him home and so we have to find another option before Thursday or Friday because that's when the doctor said Dad could go home if all goes well

Curious, why would he need to come home via an ambulance for a foot surgery? My mom came home via our car after both her knee replacement and heart bypass surgery. No other option was ever discussed. The hospital would roll him out to the car in a wheelchair and when you get home, he would just hobble in on crutches or whatever he is using to get around into the house.

 

[SueM in MN]

Curious, why would he need to come home via an ambulance for a foot surgery? My mom came home via our car after both her knee replacement and heart bypass surgery. No other option was ever discussed. The hospital would roll him out to the car in a wheelchair and when you get home, he would just hobble in on crutches or whatever he is using to get around into the house.

Just what I was going to say.
Hospital staff will roll him out to the car in a wheelchair and make sure he gets safely into the vehicle.
When you get home, you would help him get into the house. If you use a patient transport service, that’s what would happen with them too - Hospital staff would roll him out to the transport vehicle in a wheelchair and help get him in. Then, when he reaches home, the transport staff would help get him into the house.

Ambulance would not be approved unless he needs that level of care and/or can only be transported lying down on a stretcher.

 

[lanejudy]

Yes, my thoughts too. @DodgerGirl assuming he can "transfer" - meaning he can move from his wheelchair to the car's seat or into the recliner at home, etc. then he should be fine to ride in a regular car/vehicle/taxi. You may need to get him whatever mobility device he's been told to use -- wheelchair, knee-scooter, crutches -- because what he's been using at the hospital usually stays at the hospital. The social worker or someone on his care team should have discussed this, and may have made arrangements for the purchase through insurance but I wouldn't necessarily assume.

If he has more restricted needs and must remain in a wheelchair - maybe with his foot elevated - then you'll need accessible transportation such as some options mentioned by other posters. And if he has to elevate the leg be sure to mention that when scheduling because it may make a difference in what vehicle he can ride.

 

[DodgerGirl]

My dad just started his therapy today and tomorrow will be his first day doing his exercises but Mom and I haven't gotten told when Dad will come home but I hope it will be next week. The only car my parents have is a Chevrolet Avalanche. But we are gonna try to see if we can get a wheelchair ramp and walker for Dad when he gets home
Thank you so much for caring Lanejudy I am extremely grateful for your kindness and all I want is for Dad to be home so bad
Dodger

 

[lanejudy]

I know it's a stressful time and I'm sure you miss him very much. You're doing a great job finding info to help him and your mom!

A Chevy Avalanche may be hard for him to transfer up into it, but if the PT knows that's the family vehicle they will work with him on how to do it safely. Communication is key -- the more his care team knows about your home situation, the better they can help him prepare to return home. That includes the family car, steps into the house, size of the rooms, how the bathroom is laid out (toilet and tub location in relation to sink, is there space for a stool, is it a shower stall or tub/shower combo, etc.).

If he'll be using a walker that's good news, sounds like they expect him to be able to move about a bit. Not running a marathon or even walking a mile, but able to move about the home and manage his personal needs. That's good progress!

 

[lowlight]

i love your posts, you are very good at what you do.

 

[DisneyMama811]

hang in there Dodger, Dad will be home before you know it. you're doing a great job

 

[DodgerGirl]

My dad is still doing well and now he's being treated like a king because now he gets his favorite foods after he does his therapy sessions and he is very cheerful and upbeat and tomorrow Dad is gonna use power bands and is still a trooper. But now I want to ask anyone if and how Mom and I can send a package directly to the hospital since Mom and I can't be at the hospital with Dad due to pandemic rules. We looked into Doordash but they don't deliver to businesses like hospitals and I wonder if the hospital has people that can do shopping for him to get Dad things he needs. Do hospitals have volunteers that do shopping errands and other stuff for patients?