After surgery you may be lost on what you’re supposed to do. You may be in pain and didn’t listen to the doctor or maybe you forgot what you’re supposed to be doing. Luckily, if you’re a senior aging in place alone a doctor will usually recommend skilled nursing come to your home to help you recover. Skilled nursing will help with wound care, medication management, and other health related things necessary to recover. When you have a skilled nurse helping you in your home you can focus on other things to recover while knowing a nurse is going to keep you on a healthy track. Here are some things a senior should do after surgery:
Rest!
This seems like common sense but oftentimes when you live alone you want to hop back into your daily routine and run your household. However, being too active too fast can actually hinder your recovery. You need to listen to your body and rest as much as possible especially if it was a major surgery. If you are worried about getting things done in the house or you know certain things can’t wait until you recover, it’s time to call a friend or family member to come help you with these things. In fact, you should have someone there to help you and have it set up before you ever get surgery. This will allow you to focus on rest so you can recover quicker and get back to managing your house the way you want. Rest should not be put on the back burner while recovering. It is your top priority.
Take Medications
If a doctor prescribed you medications and gave you a medication schedule. You absolutely need to follow up. These medications may be for pain, healing, or managing other conditions. It doesn’t matter. You need to follow the doctor’s directions. If you need help with any step during this process this is something skilled nursing can help with. They will understand what you need to do and when to do it and help keep you on the routine a doctor wants you to be on.
Go To The Follow Up Appointments
A good surgeon will want to see you a few days after surgery and you should absolutely go even if you’re tired or don’t feel like it. They will look at your wound, they will look at how you’re moving, they will ask about medications and much more. The surgeon or doctor will adjust the medication you’re on to match how you’re feeling. It is crucial to go to every single appointment they ask you to come to. If you need transportation you will need to set this up in advance so you never miss an appointment. It is something that should be discussed prior to surgery.
Focus on Diet
When you choose to eat unhealthy foods it can cause a lack of vitamins and minerals which may hinder your healing time. You need to eat as much as possible to maintain vitamin levels which will help you heal. The first few days after surgery may be harder for you, but the doctor should give you a list of foods that will be okay for your stomach and you should try to eat when you can.