Navigating older adults' care transitions from the hospital to home

Baltimore, MD - When an elderly family member ends up in the hospital -- it can be stressful.

When it's time to go home, how do you make the transition easy on the individual?
Dr. Alicia Arbaje from Johns Hopkins was a guest on Good Morning Maryland and share some very helpful tips on how to make the transition for your elderly relative from the hospital to home as easy as possible:

Here are some the tips she shared:


**keep your own personal file of important health information

**list of health conditions.

***take charge of your medications (both prescribed and over-the-counter)

**why you take each one, how to take each one, and any possible side effects to watch for.

**make sure that you understand what services you will get at each new setting and how these will benefit you.

**once you arrive at each new setting, let people know your preferences and ask that these become part of your overall care plan.

**bring a friend or relative with you to be your advocate.

**before leaving each setting, write down the name and telephone number of the health care professional

**before leaving each setting, ask about follow-up care

**schedule an appointment with your primary care physician or case manager

Link to YouTube video of the Aliki Initiative at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_0gp1s_zo

Category:

Education

Tags:

• older adults
• seniors
• elderly
• geriatrics
• gerontology
• care transition
• care coordination
• Aliki initiative