You’ve learned your dad is undergoing surgery to remove his gallbladder. His surgeon says it’s a common laparoscopic surgery. As a result, he can go home the same day and needs about two weeks to recover fully.
During those two weeks, you want him to have post-surgical care at home. He’s not sure he needs it. Would home health care nurses be beneficial to him following the surgery?
How Home Health Care Services Can Help
For a week or two, your dad cannot lift heavy items or exert himself. If he’s used to doing his own housework, you need to stop by and take over or hire personal care aides to help him with housework, laundry, and ambulation. He may require home health care services, too.
After the surgery, your dad may be advised to change his diet. He needs low-fat foods and smaller meals more often each day. To help him navigate these changes, ask his medical team about having home health care visits from a dietitian. You and your dad can learn how to make appealing foods that protect his health going forward.
If your dad’s surgeon prescribed pain medications to help him, management of those medications is important. He may need a home health nurse for medication management. If he’s on IV antibiotics or pain relievers, he definitely needs a skilled nurse for that.
Wound care may not be easy for him to manage. He’ll have surgical tape strips over the incisions that should be left in place until they fall off. He may not be able to shower for a couple of days. If he has staples closing the incisions, he needs to keep them from getting wet until his surgeon removes them.
With a home health care nurse’s help, he has someone trained in wound care. That nurse can make sure the incision is closing correctly and not infected. If signs of infection are present, the nurse can alert doctors and discuss what to do next.
What To Do Next?
Talk to his surgeon about home health care services. Find out what care services will help your dad’s post-surgical recovery. Once you have ideas on what services are best, call an agency to schedule services that will help him.
Your dad may feel fine after his surgery. It can take a couple of days for the pain to peak. While he isn’t feeling much pain on the ride home or later that day, it’s still important to discuss post-surgical care at home. When the pain hits, he’ll be thankful he has a home health care nurse available to help him manage his medications and take care of wound care.