Athulya Homecare-Geriatric Home Healthcare

A patient gets discharged from the hospital in the hope that he has fully recovered. But what if, upon returning home, his condition worsens and he is forced to get re-admitted to the hospital? Such situations only reveal that gaps in care persist during the transition from hospital to home.  What is the solution then to achieve a seamless transition from hospital to home with total recovery and recuperation? The use of home health care services, of course!  Statistics of gaps in care during the transition from hospital to home  • For all patients being discharged, the week following the hospitalization is particularly  stressful.  • 1 in 5 patients suffers from ADE-adverse drug effects or hospital complications during this  period.  • 20% of elderly Medicare patients were readmitted within 30 days.  • Nearly 100,000 aged patients were readmitted due to ADEs.    Reasons for the gap in care    In most cases,...

Saving lives is a noble act and probably the greatest deed ever! Not everyone could do it. This the is reason why doctors and other medical care professionals earn utmost respect in the society. What if you come to know that you too have the ability to save lives? Wouldn't that make you feel great? The act of donating blood enables you save lives and become the differential factor between the life and death.  Of course, donating blood is a great act and you don't probably need a special reason to do it. A small amount of this vital fluid (300ml to 400ml) could save more than 3 lives, per unit. If you are a person who is above 18 years and healthy, you too could do it and become a life-savior of many people.  The human body consists of 4.75 liters to 5.50 liters of blood, on an average. The doctors will collect mere 400 ml on an average per donation. The donated blood gets generated again in the body within 24 hours. Doctors suggest that a healthy person can donate ...

"Home is where the heart is" goes the saying and this is more so for elders. Statistics reveal that 90% of the elders prefer to age in the comfort of their own home. In doing so, seniors have started to opt for assisted living and personal assistance services. In England, nearly 65,000 disabled adults were employing 1,45,000 personal assistants in the year 2015. India too is experiencing a sudden boom in the need for senior caregiving services. What are personal assistance services? Elders want to enjoy the privacy and independence of their own home where they can be their own masters. Yet age does not permit them to do all the routine activities on their own. This is where they need elderly home care assistance. Personal assistance services for the elderly include the following type of care or help in     • Personal Care-  help in bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting     • Home care- cleaning, cooking, laundry,  grocery shopping ...

One of the vital aspects of healthy living is Hydration. It refers to the process in which water is continuously replenished in the body. Remaining hydrated is not a matter limited to quenching one’s thirst. It essentially refers to consuming sufficient fluids for the body to be healthy, energized and active throughout the day. Hydration is crucial as our body is filled mostly with water and a proper balance between water and electrolytes is needed. This really determines how most of the body systems including nerves and muscles are fueled to function efficiently.  Summer heat poses several threats including dehydration, sunstroke and heat exhaustion. Sparkling water is one of the most popular drinks for hydration. But there are many delicious healthy beverages that serve as excellent alternatives. These hydrating drinks are rich in electrolytes like sodium and potassium, vitamin, probiotics and minerals and come in a variety of flavours. Let us explore them.  Su...

Remember the fluid-filled blisters on your skin as a child? You know it was chickenpox and you also know that chickenpox, once occurred will not return. But, it does! Every one person in four who are above 50 age will get the same skin rash like chickenpox. This time around its called shingles. It also referred as herpes zoster. The viral infection causes pain and a burning sensation. It mainly appears on the regions of neck, torso and sides of the face. It stays for 2 or 3 weeks and it very rarely occurs for more than once for the same person. The blisters may appear on the skin just like chickenpox blisters. They may stay for 1 to 2 weeks and after that, they flatten and dry out leaving minimal scars on the skin. In few people this may occur near eyes and spread to the eyes causing pain whenever the person blinks. However, the chances for it are very minimal. As elders have higher chances of developing this viral skin rash during the summer season due to the hot weat...

Moving an elderly person out of his home is like uprooting an old Banyan tree. 90% of the seniors wish to live in the comfort of their own homes. The feeling of familiarity, comfort, ownership and independence makes them want to stay in their own space. Psychologically too, living at home is best for the aging. Yet sometimes there are occasions when the aged do need extra care especially medical help. It is at times like these that  Geriatric Homecare is much better than regular homecare. What is Geriatric Home Healthcare? Geriatric Home Healthcare includes the healthcare and medical assistance offered by qualified nurses, competent physiotherapists and licensed medical practitioners to the elderly in the comfort of their own homes. Here the medical professionals specialized in the field of geriatrics, extend their clinical services by visiting the aged at home. All the necessary equipment and medical accessories are brought along and the hospital treatment continues at...

 Dementia is generally a memory loss health issue that occurs due in old age. It could not be cured completely but can be managed. Various memory loss treatments are given to the patients to keep the condition under control. It really gets worse over age and may lead to the Alzheimer’s disease. It drastically affects the ability to think and remember things that will affect the person’s entire lifestyle. Because, your life would not be the same if you keep forgetting everything all the time; even little things like names, numbers, date, day to day activities. The caregivers should take utmost care of the seniors with dementia and also provide proper memory care for them by helping them. The house, in which the seniors with dementia live, plays a major role. The environment should be perfectly safe and equipped with all the necessary senior medical equipment. Here are some elder safety tips that every caregiver and senior with dementia should follow, Home safety t...

The winter season is already here! It could be a challenging one for older adults who have some form of ailment and is, specifically so, in the burdening context of Arthritis. Arthritis is essentially joint pain or disease that causes an inflammation of one or multiple joints. Typically, arthritis symptoms are more prevalent in seniors above the age of 60-65 years.  Actually, the problems associated with this painful condition tend to increase during the colder days, which further triggers and fuels excessive pain, stiffness and swelling in the body joints. There are more than 100 different manifestations of arthritis and related conditions. The most common among them include Osteoarthritis (OA), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA), Fibromyalgia and Gout. Common symptoms Pain, stiffness, swelling, locking of joints or tenderness in and around it Limited mobility of affected joints/limping Redness and warmth of joints affected Fever Tiredness Malaise/...

After the scorching heat of the summer everyone looks monsoon as a season for relief. It brings joyful and cool weather with long mornings and evenings. The sudden rains and drizzles bring joy in the hearts of people and makes everyone hanker for such weather. However, this is not over yet! This is just one face of the coin. On the hind side rains keeps everyone on their feet by causing various health issues. Especially, children and the elderly are more prone to get affected by rains than any other age group. This is the season for the birth of new diseases and low immunity people will become vulnerable to the bacteria and virus that cause fever, cold and lot more other health issues. There are various other triggering factors that cause serious illness such as malaria, typhoid and dengue. Rainy season becomes haven for the mosquitos and insects as this season provides perfect grounds for breeding in the forms of stagnant water and wet places. These very mosquitos cause ...