When you are taking your elderly loved one home from hospital admissions, you will likely be a bit worried. With questions like “What if they have a similar incident in the near future?” or “What if they aren’t reached in time?” coming up.
These worries are completely normal, but carrying them alone can take a significant toll on you and your family. While you naturally want the very best for your loved one, it simply isn’t always possible (or sustainable) to manage all their care needs by yourself. And that is where our nurse-led team at StellarCare NW steps in.
Together, we work alongside you to provide exceptional in-home support, ensuring your relative can safely stay in the comfort of their own home while giving you back your peace of mind.
Common Reasons for Hospital Admissions Among the Elderly
A report from AgeUK in 2022 has found that the leading reasons for older adults being admitted to hospitals in the UK are due to the following:
- Falls: This is the core reason for hospital admission in the over-80 age group. This has the largest long-term impact, as it can cause significant fractures. As noted in an article by HIA, between 18-33% of all people who fall pass away within one year of a hip fracture.
- Malnutrition: From AgeUK, BGS and The Malnutrition Task Force, as many as 1 in 10 older people are malnourished. This can often be due to co-morbid conditions such as Alzheimer’s, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and dysphagia (issues with swallowing food).
- Dehydration: For family members, dehydration can be incredibly frustrating because the answer seems obvious: just encourage them to drink more. But as highlighted by AgeUK, it is rarely that simple. The ageing process brings physiological changes, meaning older adults often completely lose their natural sensation of thirst, especially those living with Alzheimer’s or recovering from a stroke. Furthermore, many older people actively avoid drinking fluids out of fear of needing the toilet at night or exacerbating incontinence issues. When combined with natural declines in kidney function and cognitive impairments that make seeking drinks harder, keeping an older relative hydrated requires a much more proactive approach.
We at StellarCare NW understand how many individuals wouldn’t want their loved ones to stay in the hospital. Being a big advocate of avoiding hospital admissions (unless they are absolutely necessary!), our experts have devised the perfect checklist to try to prevent this from happening:
1. Early Identification of Health Issues
Our carers are trained by qualified nurses to identify potential health concerns at the earliest possible stage. Through our rigorous training programme and the dedicated time we spend getting to know your relative during our visits, we become highly attuned to their normal baseline. This allows us to spot subtle but critical changes, such as increased confusion, sudden fatigue or even unexplained weakness. We will then coordinate with medical professionals to address these issues at home, often preventing the need for hospital admission.
To support this proactive care, our team utilises CareBoodle. This structured workflow tool allows our carers on the ground to immediately record observations if they spot the early signs of possible delirium. These alerts are instantly escalated to our management team, who can then download and share clear, time-stamped clinical summaries directly with your loved one’s GP. Thus, ensuring fast, accurate communication with healthcare services exactly when it is needed most.
2. Preventive Care Plans
Every person is different, and with enhanced age, care requirements can become more technical. If someone shows signs of cognitive decline, it may be hard for them to remember to take their medication as needed, which can increase the risk of hospital admission.
Hence, we will work with you and your loved one to create the optimum care plan for them, which our in-home team will then work from. These plans not only encompass current needs, such as medication timing, food and social interaction, but they are also designed to be proactive.
With this proactive approach, we will ensure that we monitor chronic conditions and offer nutritious foods. All of which will be tailored to specific needs in line with medication or health conditions.
* Rest assured all care plans at StellarCare NW are managed and overseen by one of our qualified nurses and will be handled with the highest level of clinical care and supervision.
3. Medication Support
Sometimes, an older person may forget to take their medication as required. This can be due to natural cognitive decline, a more serious complication, such as Alzheimer’s or one of the most commonly missed, yet highly dangerous, conditions like delirium. The result can be that their health worsens, and they may then require hospital admission.
However, as our carers are nurse-trained, they will be on hand to offer medication management (eMAR) if your loved one has issues with their memory. From here, we will also assess if the medication is having the desired impact and flag any potential side effects or issues with said medication. With more advanced care needs, we can tailor clinical support and offer PEG feeding, as well as catheter care, while preserving care and comfort at home.
4. Creating a Safe Home Environment
As part of our proactive approach, we will also be sure to check the home environment for fall risks. We vigilantly monitor for hazards such as loose rugs, poor lighting on stairs, trailing wires, or even the need for grab rails in bathrooms. Crucially, we understand that this is your loved one’s home, not a clinical facility. So rest assured, we will always clearly flag any concerns with you and work collaboratively with both you and your loved ones to make necessary, practical adjustments. Our goal is never to take over, but to create a safe environment with deep respect that empowers them to maintain their independence for as long as possible, while preserving the warmth and character of their home.
We Can Help Where Others Can’t
If you are concerned that the needs of your relative are too complex, let’s talk.
Choosing care for yourself or a loved one can feel overwhelming — but you don’t have to figure it out alone. With a free, no-obligation consultation, you can ask us questions, talk about your loved one’s needs and get clear, clinically supported information about the best home care option for them.
Feel free to reach out to our team by dropping us a message.
We’re confident we can support you in making the right choice for your loved one’s care with confidence and insight.