As people get older, they often will require some kind of surgery. While this surgery can be invasive, surgeries can also be meant to just keep someone as healthy as possible. But when you have an elderly loved one that’s needing to have surgery, the recovery process will often be harder and longer than if someone younger was undergoing that same surgery.
Knowing this, if you have an elderly loved one that’s going to have surgery soon, you may want to do something more to help with their recovery in the days and weeks after this event. Even if they’ve living in an assisted living facility, the care that you give them could make a big difference in their comfort and their healing.
To help you in doing this, here are three tips for caring for an elderly loved one during surgery recovery.
Plan To Be Around For The First Few Days
For most elderly people who undergo surgery, the first few days following the surgery are going to be the hardest.
In these hours and days just after the surgery has been completed, the pain is likely to be the sharpest and the chances for complications are likely to be the highest. So if you’re going to be helping to care for them during this time, it’s wise to stick very close to them during this part of their recovery. This way, you can be there if and when they need anything and can keep an eye on how their healing is progressing.
Focus On Healing And Comfort
As part of the care that you render to your healing loved one, your main objective should be to help in their healing process and ensure that they are comfortable.
As part of this, you might be in charge of making sure they stay on top of their pain medication, that they’re moving and changing positions regularly, and that they have all of their needs taken care of while they recuperate. The better you’re able to do this, the more energy your loved one will have to focus on their healing and recovery rather than worrying about caring for themself.
Be On The Lookout For Complications
While you’re caring for your elderly loved one after their surgery, you should be very cognizant of the potential complications that could happen and how to spot them quickly. Especially with older patients, their health can quickly go south if complications happen after surgery. And the faster you’re able to act, the better their outcome will be.
With this in mind, make sure you educate yourself about what complications could look like for them and what kinds of things would necessitate getting medical care during the recovery process.
While it can be scary to have an elderly loved one undergoing surgery, they’re going to need you to be there with them as they recover and regain their strength. So to help you do this successfully, consider implementing the tips mentioned above if you’re tasked with caring for your elderly loved one post-surgery.