Helping Your Parent be Responsible for Their Own Post-Surgery Recovery

By Robert D. Liken CPC, CTS, President

July 8, 2016

Senior Care in Squirrel Hill PA

For many elderly adults, surgery is a reality of getting older. There are many different types of surgical procedures that aging adults undergo. Some of these are quite common, such as hip Senior-Care-in-Squirrel-Hill-PAreplacement and knee replacement surgeries that dramatically improve range of motion, flexibility, and pain and stiffness symptoms to improve activity levels. Others are more extensive, such as heart surgeries or those related to the treatment of cancer. Whatever type of surgery your parent must undergo, recovery will be a part of their surgery experience. Knowing that they are properly prepared for their recovery period is an essential part of making sure that your loved one gets the most out of their procedure.
Helping your loved one to be responsible for their own post-surgery recovery can seem daunting, but it is also important to their overall health and wellbeing. When you encourage your parent to take as much responsibility as they can for their own health and wellbeing, and empower them to manage much of their own care tasks, you support improved mental, emotional, and cognitive health. This elevated mental and emotional health, and sharpened cognitive abilities, increases the chances of physical recovery, and gives your parent more motivation to follow through with care tasks that will help them to get better faster.
 
Use these tips to help your parent be responsible for their own post-surgery recovery:

  • Go over requirements ahead of time. Sit down with your parent and their doctor prior to the surgery to talk about what recovery will entail for your parent. Make sure that your parent understands the limitations and requirements of their recovery so that they can make the decisions that are right for them.
  • Make preparations with them. Some of the best preparations that you can make for your parent’s recovery are things that they can do for themselves or with your help. Preparing and freezing meals, for example, is fantastic for ensuring they have the nutrition that they need throughout their recovery period. Help them to create a home that is tailored toward recovery and healing.
  • Offer reminders. Sometimes it can be frustrating to see your parent not following through with the recovery tasks that they are supposed to in order to get better. You may feel the compulsion to do them for your parent to make sure that they are done properly. This, however, can make your parent feel as though you are “taking over” or that they are not capable of controlling their own life. Rather than stepping in and doing things for them, offer reminders. Say something like “Have you done your exercises today?” or “How are you doing on your nutrition?” rather than telling them to do something.

 
One of the best ways that you can help your parent to take more responsibility for their health and wellbeing during their post-surgery recovery is to hire senior care for the recovery period. A senior home care services provider will evaluate your parent’s specific needs and challenges so that they can create a customized approach to care and support. This care plan will address those needs in a way that supports healing and recovery, while also maintaining as much independence as possible. This is not only important for their physical healing and health, but can also improve their cognitive and emotional wellbeing during their recovery. This will give them the best chances of experiencing a full and beneficial recovery.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Squirrel Hill, PA, please contact the friendly staff at Liken Home Care.  Call (412) 693-6820 or (855) 856-0551