Getting The Right Home Care Support Following Your Cancer Surgery
If you've recently been diagnosed with cancer, your emotions are likely all over the place. In some cases, part of cancer treatment may involve surgery to remove a tumor or tissues from your body affected by cancer. From wondering how treatment will affect you to finding the right after-care when you leave the hospital are important questions to speak with your doctor about. If you're scheduled for cancer surgery, you'll need to make sure that your doctor will have a post-operative treatment plan in place once the procedure is over. Having a plan ahead of time will simplify the process and relieve the burden of finding the right type of help you'll need once you go home.
Rehabilitation
The main goal following cancer surgery is to get your body strong enough to recover and fight the disease. In many cases, cancer can affect different parts of your body. If your walking or muscle strength has been compromised or affected from cancer or another disease, you'll need help building up weakened tendons and muscles. If you've had parts of your bone or leg removed due to the effects of cancer, rehabilitation can help teach you how to properly use prosthetics and learn to rebuild affected muscle. Rehabilitation is often done in a rehab facility, but can also be performed inside your home by a certified physical or occupational therapist.
In-Home Care
Making sure that you have a supportive home care team place is essential in your overall recovery from cancer surgery. Hospital staff will create a care plan that will be geared toward meeting your health and personal needs once you arrive home. Some suggestions may include:
- Home health aides to help take vitals and assist with personal hygiene
- Personal care aides to help with housekeeping and cooking assistance
- Visiting nurses to care for your medical needs and administer prescribed medication
- A physician on-call to help diagnose and treat new and existing medical issues
- A social worker to assist with financial and personal issues and provide additional resources
One or a combination of several rehabilitation or home care staff members can help meet your needs and assist you on your road to recovery.
Ostomy And Wound Care
If your cancer has affected your colon or bladder, you may have had surgery to remove parts of your organs. If you have an ostomy, you'll require additional education to learn how to care for it. An ostomy or stoma is a part of either the ureter or bowel that is used to discharge body waste. Learning how to care for your stoma as well as the pouch that is used to collect waste is demonstrated by a certified ostomy care nurse. If you have wounds that need to be packed or cared for a wound care nurse can also come out and care for your wound on a routine basis.
Durable Medical Equipment
Even though you've been discharged home, you may still need medical equipment to help assist with your care needs. A hospital bed, walker or over-the-bed table are all examples of DME that can make your care and daily like easier.
Recovering at home can help speed the healing process. Specialized and supportive in-home care allows you to recuperate in the comfort of your own space. For more information, contact companies like Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care.
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