Single Mum Coping with Post-Surgery Care at Home: Meet Shanti

Transitioning Back Home after Hospital Discharge

After being discharged from the hospital, individuals will often need support with activities of daily living, wound care, and pain management. Frequent trips to the hospital are also required for follow-up appointments and rehabilitation therapy.

Making care arrangements for the transition from hospital to home takes time, caregiving knowledge, and skills. Family caregivers, as much as they would like to, may not be able to deliver the best quality care to their loved ones. This can compromise the well-being of both the caregiver and the care recipient.

Like Shanti, her post-surgery journey left her with mobility challenges, and would require support in hygiene care, especially during the day when her daughter is away. Let us discover how she copes with post-op care at home on her own.

A Little Background About Shanti

Shanti is a 60-year-old single mum based in Perak and living with her youngest daughter. She has been active in doing yoga and living healthily with no acute medical condition. However a few months back, she experienced disturbances in her vision. She sought medical attention and discovered a benign tumour called Prolactinoma in her brain. She proceeds to have a craniotomy operation to remove the tumour. 

After hospital discharge post-surgery, her mobility is affected and her limbs are weak, and unable to support herself fully when walking. She is also hypersensitive to sound and is unable to tolerate noises. Her immunity has been compromised as well and she will catch infection easily if she comes in contact with people who are unwell. 

As Shanti’s daughter is a young working adult and has to commit to a 9-5 job, she is unable to assist her mum during the daytime. Hence, Shanti called up Homage to arrange for professional post-operation help in taking care of her hygiene needs as she recovers at home. 

What our Homage Care Specialist Suggested

Having proper care support, a suitable home environment, and caregivers equipped with the right skills and knowledge play a key role in post-surgery recovery. 

Upon the in-person assessment done at Shanti’s home, our Care Specialist has identified her condition and care needs:

1. Assist in her personal care and hygiene 

• Help Shanti to remove her clothes to take her morning shower as the left side of her body is weak and she is unable to lift her left hand on her own. 
• Walk her to the toilet and let her sit on the commode chair when having the shower.

2. Food Arrangement

• Contact Shanti before each visit to help her with purchasing her breakfast. 
• She is managing her own medication but a reminder to take them is needed during her meals.

3. Staying Active

• After showering, light massages are encouraged to improve blood circulation as Shanti experiences muscle stiffness due to her medication. 
• Assist her to perform simple stretching and range of motion (ROM) exercises to keep her active.
• Supervise her going up and down the stair.

As Shanti is sensitive to noise and has a weak immune system post-surgery, our Care Professionals are advised to speak gently with her. In addition, it is also required that proper hygiene and wearing of face masks is practiced during the visit. 

Shanti’s feedback

For two months, Shanti has been receiving 1 hour of post-op care on weekdays from 9 am-10 am. With the care support from our Care Professionals, she was able to recover smoothly in the comfort of her home and regain control of her limbs, on top of receiving companionship when she’s home alone during the day.  

“Care Pro Yoges was conscientious and sensitive to my needs as after my shower and grooming, she utilised the time to give me a gentle massage to my aching left hand and leg before clocking out. Great care and good time chatting together too. Thank you so much!”

Towards the end of her engagement with Homage, Shanti found a new helper and our Care Professional was able to pass down a few caregiving tips to slowly transition the caregiving duties to her.

Hospital Discharge Care Arrangement at Home with Homage

Recovering from surgery like Shanti? From support with activities of daily living and rehabilitation to nursing and medical care, our trained Care Professionals can help your loved ones, or yourself, to have a seamless transition home after hospital discharge. 

Whether it’s long-term support or as low as one hour, let us assist in providing your care needs with proper caregiving knowledge, experience and skills.

Get in touch with our Care Advisor today for a free consultation by filling up the details below and let us ease your post-hospitalisation worries.