An optimal return from the hospital means not going back

A hospital trip for a medical emergency may save a life, but do you or the person you care for want to repeat the experience? Probably not. That’s why OFA wants to make an older adult’s return home from the hospital less challenging, to break the pattern of return hospital trips.

The Office for the Aging coordinates with care teams at local hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities and urgent care centers to reduce the risk of return hospital trips.

Regardless of whether your hospital visit was planned or not, these four steps can help improve the likelihood of successful recovery.

1) Measure your risk: Older adults and their caregivers can advocate for themselves simply by asking about the risk for repeat hospital visits. Health care professionals use tools to identify which older adults are most likely to return to an emergency department after leaving the hospital.

2) Have a care plan ready before discharge time: Don’t go home from the hospital without asking health care providers about what kind of plan will meet an older adult’s unique needs as they continue their recovery. The Office for the Aging can be a key part of planning a successful recovery by working with hospital care teams. Since beginning this effort in 2019, more Dutchess older adults have sought out OFA services for just this reason. It’s a trend we expect will continue in 2024.

3) Listen to that wake-up call: In the case of an unplanned hospital visit, a combination of lifestyle factors and undiagnosed ailments may have led to an older adult’s current situation. It’s never too late to quit smoking, improve diet and exercise, and eliminate other substance use to improve your quality of life and reduce repeat hospital trips. OFA’s website (www.dutchessny.gov/aging) has plenty of tips available in our “Nutrition Services” and “Health and Wellness” sections to find out more.

4) Get the pharmacist in the mix: Anybody taking multiple medications is at risk of drug interactions that lead to serious side effects, especially as they age. The phenomenon is called “polypharmacy.” To prevent it, a pharmacist can review medications and help align timing and dosage for desired effectiveness. If a change in medications is ordered, OFA can direct you to local resources where you can safely dispose of medications that are no longer needed. There’s a list of local law enforcement agencies that operate safe-disposal facilities at dutchessny.gov/aging. For homebound individuals and their caregivers, Deterra brand drug disposal kits are available while supplies last at OFA Friendship Centers throughout the county. The kits cannot be mailed. Please call a Friendship Center to arrange a suitable pickup time.

 

Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, Todd N. Tancredi, director. Email him at ofa@dutchessny.gov.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Millerton News and The News does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

Books and bites beckon at the upcoming Sharon Summer Book Signing

Author and cartoonist Peter Steiner signed books at Sharon Summer Book Signing last summer.

Photo by Stephanie Stanton

The 27th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will be held Friday, Aug. 1, from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 3, at noon.

Friday’s festivities will honor libraries and the power of the written word. In attendance will be 29 locally and nationally recognized authors whose books will be for sale. With a wide array of genres including historical fiction, satire, thrillers, young adult and non-fiction, there will be something for every reader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices from Ukraine to America come to Stissing Center July 27

Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser at The Stissing Center in 2022 raised over $120,000 for Sunflower of Peace.

Photo by Michael Churton

The spirit of Ukraine will be on display at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on Sunday, July 27. Beginning at 5 p.m., the “Words to America from Ukraine” fundraiser is set to showcase the simultaneous beauty of Ukrainian culture and the war-time turmoil it faces, all the while fundraising in support of Ukrainian freedom.

“Words to America from Ukraine” aims to remind and spread awareness for the suffering that often gets forgotten by those who live in comfortable worlds, explained Leevi Ernits, an organizer for the event. “We are trying to make an attempt to remind people that we are human, and we are connected with human values,” she said. “With very few words, poetry can express very deep values.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Grumbling Gryphons’ set to celebrate 45th anniversary with gala and summer theater camp

Celebrating its 45th year, the Grumbling Gryphons will perform at HVRHS Friday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.

Photo provided

The Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater is preparing to celebrate its 45th year — not with fanfare, but with feathers, fabric, myth, chant, and a gala finale bursting with young performers and seasoned artists alike.

The Gryphons’ 2025 Summer Theater Arts Camp begins July 28 and culminates in a one-night-only performance gala at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Founder, playwright, and artistic director, Leslie Elias has been weaving together the worlds of myth, movement and theater for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Learning calligraphy by hand

Attendees practive brushstrokes led by calligraphy teacher Debby Reelitz.

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Calligrapher Debby Reelitz came to the David M. Hunt Library to give a group of adults and children an introduction to modern calligraphy Thursday, July 17.

Reelitz said she was introduced to calligraphy as a youngster and has been a professional calligrapher and teacher for more than 25 years.

Keep ReadingShow less