The older we get, the higher the chance that a seemingly minor event can send us to the hospital. In fact, one out of five falls in older people results in serious injuries, like a head injury or broken bones. While care for these kinds of injuries is relatively routine in the hospital, there is no transition from around-the-clock hospital care to living independently once the individual is discharged and returns home. In fact, data shows that seniors discharged from the hospital are more likely to be readmitted in the first 30 days after a medical event compared to younger patients. This is because there is no transition of care – there is no system to help the recovering patient set up critical follow-up care visits with their primary care provider or specialist(s).
Let’s discuss the care gap, how the transition of care program addresses this gap, and where you can find transition care program in FL.
What Is the “Care Gap”?
As mentioned above, it is unfortunately quite common that older patients do not receive enough care after leaving the hospital. The fact is that the hospital treats acute injuries, but primary care providers and specialists are responsible for managing patient health to prevent injuries in the future, and there is no system in place to help senior patients set up these critical follow-up appointments with their other care providers at a time when they need the most help.
Other factors contributing to the high rate of readmittance in seniors include that they may not be able to re-adjust to life at home while recovering without help. Often, seniors who fall and break a bone will have their movement restricted while healing from the injury, such as needing a walker or a cane to move around or cannot reach high shelves. In this way, they do not have guidance or support on how to perform daily living activities in a way that won’t lead to re-injury. Even in cases where the hospital physicians tell the older patient how to care for themselves or what new medications they need to be taking and when older patients may have a more challenging time remembering all this further information and how to implement it correctly.
Addressing the Care Gap with the Transition of Care Program
At Palm Medical Centers, we are proud to provide our Transition of Care program, which addresses this lack of care head-on. If one of our patients ends up in the hospital, they are assigned a hospital care coach who helps them with anything they need. Most critically, the hospital care coach works to set up appointments with the patient’s primary care provider and specialist(s) so that once the patient is discharged, their health will keep being monitored as they recover from their injury, thereby decreasing their risk of readmittance to the hospital.
At Palm Medical Centers, you are not just a number but a valued member of our community that provides the highest level of care to the best of our ability. We care not only about helping patients when they are sick but preventing illness and injury in the future through our Transition of Care program, as well as our round-the-clock access to clinical experts, support services like on-site physical and occupational therapy, and personalized support from care coaches.
If you are interested in the Transition of Care program or any other program we offer, don’t hesitate to call us at 833-500-PALM (7256), or click here to become a patient today. At Palm Medical Centers, we promise genuine kindness, convenience, and good health to all our patients and can’t wait to start caring for you today!
