Going to the hospital for an extended stay can be very stressful for a variety of reasons. You’ll be separated from your close ones and your family and have to live somewhere that is completely foreign to you, sometimes in an entirely different state or city. You may also be worried about who’s going to take care of things back home if you have lots of responsibilities.
If you want the whole thing to go as smoothly as possible and remove some of the stress, you need to be prepared and know what to expect during, before, and after your stay. Let’s look at a few tips for getting prepared for a long-term hospital stay.
Handle House Tasks
If you’re living alone, you should try to clean up the house as much as you can so you don’t come back home to a mess. Give the house a nice thorough cleaning and cut the lawn. If there are things that need to be done regularly like watering the plants, for instance, then appoint someone in your circle of friends or family to handle them. Place a hold on your mail and have someone come in from time to time just to check that everything is OK.
Arrange for Discharge Transportation
This one is also very important if you’re alone and have no one to bring you back. Looking for a discharge transportation service will take away much of the headache that comes with hospital discharges. Patient transportation services will come in handy if you’ll be sent back mid-recovery and will provide you with a nurse and everything you need, like wheelchairs and medication, to come back safely and comfortably.
Take a Bit of Home with You
Long-term hospital stays can be depressing because of how cold, sterile, and unfamiliar hospital rooms can be. But you can change that by bringing some of the things that will remind you of home. You can decorate the room with mementos and pictures of your loved ones, for instance. Also, ask if you can bring real or artificial plants and flowers to brighten up the room. And consider bringing your own pillow and blanket if you want to feel like you’re sleeping in your bed.
Stay Connected
Keeping a connection with the outside world will help you recover and reassure you in times of stress. Skype, video chats, and FaceTime can allow you to connect virtually with the people you love and even feel like you’re right there at events. This alone could greatly improve your morale and help you get through your stay faster.
If you don’t have a tablet, now would be a great time to do so. Not only will it make video chats livelier but it will also be a great source of entertainment.
All of these tips should help you get through your long-term hospital stay much better. The most important part is getting prepared mentally, physically, and emotionally, and knowing exactly what’s going to happen once you get there.
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