Protecting an Elderly Loved One

Short-Term Rehabilitation Services for Older Patients

by Margie Adams

A number of older people will specifically need short-term recovery and rehabilitation services. They might have to spend some time in the hospital for various reasons, and short-term recovery and rehabilitation services can help patients truly become healthier. For some older people, services like this will allow them to regain their independence, giving them the chance to go home again after being in the hospital. Older people who require more support in their lives will receive additional care at another level after receiving help with short-term recovery and rehabilitation. A lot of patients may need services like this after experiencing heart problems. 

Short-Term Care and Rehabilitation Following Cardiac Diseases

A large number of older people will experience heart problems at some point. They might need open-heart surgery in order to address them, and patients like this will certainly require some short-term care and rehabilitation time in the hospital. This stage could actually last for a couple months. During this time period, healthcare workers will help to support the wound-healing process. They'll also work at preventing the infections that might occur under these circumstances.

Patients who have received treatment for heart disease might need to spend a similar amount of time in the hospital. People who have suffered from strokes might need even more time for their short-term care and rehabilitation. 

Healing After Different Types of Strokes

Fully recovering from any stroke can take time, particularly when it comes to major hemorrhagic strokes. However, the people who have had ischemic strokes might need less than a week of recovery time in the hospital. Some patients will require surgery, and they will certainly need more time in the hospital if that is the case. It's also important for doctors to fully diagnose the stroke's cause.

If they know why the stroke happened, patients might be able to move on more quickly. For many other patients, such as patients who have knee problems, short-term care and rehabilitation will be necessary for different reasons. 

Knee Replacement and Short-Term Care

The people who have to get their joints repaired and replaced will generally need extensive physical therapy afterwards. They will need to get used to walking on their feet again. It's just as important to make sure that the procedures involved with the knee replacement were successful. Older people in this situation will often be healthier in general as a result of these short-term rehabilitation services.  

Share