By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    learn to recognize and treat yeast infections
    Most Commonly Asked Questions About Yeast Infections
    November 17, 2021
    Advanced lung cancer diagnosis systems used by doctors
    Advanced Lung Cancer Diagnosis Systems Used by Doctors
    March 6, 2022
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    June 13, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Life Expectancies and Lethal Injections
    May 6, 2015
    The Future of Healthcare and Big Pharma is in Big Data Analytics
    February 5, 2021
    Financial Assistance for Clinical Trials
    September 16, 2015
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Smooth Transition: Reducing Senior Readmissions to Hospitals
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Home Health > Smooth Transition: Reducing Senior Readmissions to Hospitals
Home HealthMedical EducationPublic Health

Smooth Transition: Reducing Senior Readmissions to Hospitals

jodyguerrieri
jodyguerrieri
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

Lack of proper after care from a recent bout of illness is one of the chief causes to blame for senior readmissions to hospitals. Senior care industry professionals identify various problems encountered during the transition-at-home phase and offer solutions to bridge the gaps.

Lack of proper after care from a recent bout of illness is one of the chief causes to blame for senior readmissions to hospitals. Senior care industry professionals identify various problems encountered during the transition-at-home phase and offer solutions to bridge the gaps.

More Read

Ergonomic Keyboard/Mouse
6 Reasons You’re in Pain at Work
HHS Opens New Website-Health Indicators Warehouse For Community Reported Data
Should Non-Physician PhDs be Called “Doctor” and be Practicing Medicine?
The Evolution of Medicare Telehealth Reimbursement
Pros And Cons Of Supplements In Your Daily Diet

An increasing number of patients, especially seniors, discharged from hospitals are finding their way back early. Healthcare costs thus increasing, Medicare announced that hospitals with high rates of readmissions would be penalized.

30 day readmission

Health care data alarmingly showed that one out of every five patients discharged from hospital makes his way back within a month and of all the patients discharged about 34% are expected to be back within 90 days. Most of these readmissions were of the elderly patients.

Most of these readmissions are preventable.

As most hospitals today offer acute-care facilities, often the causes leading to readmission are found to be unrelated to the health service provided.

Most cases are found in the transition phase and finding a solution for the problem isn’t practically as straight forward as it may seem!

What is the Truth behind Increasing Readmissions of Elderly?

What has been bothering health care professionals is to come up a plausible answer as to why there were a large number of readmissions in the elderly group?

At first view, it may be assumed that the existing medical treatment standards that normally work for other patients are not working for seniors. The reality, however, is that hospitals are trying out numerous ways and employing a variety of practices, only to reduce chances of readmission.

It was noticed that one major reason for elderly readmissions was that there was not enough support available at home after a senior was discharged from hospital.

Cost of Senior Living

One would expect the immediate family to ensure a comfortable transition at home, help the elderly to settle into the prescribed medication regime, call in on time at the hospital for the next appointment. But adult children, often leading very busy lives themselves, may not be able to give the time needed for a good recovery.

Where most patients, especially young people and adults, have their age-groups helping them rehabilitate, older people hardly get the kind of company and environment that they require to recover. The problem could be compounded if their spouses are either deceased or need assistance themselves.

So, What is the Way Out?

Seniors need someone dedicated enough to take regular care of them, not only during discharge, but also at home and through the recovery process, which could last weeks at a stretch. Seniors need a constant; someone, who is committed to walking through the recovery process with them. Such specialized care is what transition care experts are providing elderly patients.

Transition Coaching – Introduction and How it works?

Thankfully, transition coaching, a service that has recently emerged, is now helping senior patients to recover more quickly and effectively. Transition coaches are trained experts who take the responsibility of walking senior patients home from the hospital and look after them at home until they fully recover.

Senior care service

Basically, the coach motivates the patients to play a proactive role in recovery in an effort to reduce the risk of readmissions. Besides keeping records of medication and follow up appointments, the transition expert also helps patients to communicating better with other patients, hospital staff and family members as well.

What Does Smooth Transition Care Aim At?

After being discharged from hospital and on arriving home, elderly patients cannot settle into the prescribed medication regime without help or reminding from others and often appointments with their doctor are missed out. New prescriptions may not be timely filled and old prescriptions are not thrown out creating confusion with medication and contributing to readmissions.

A transition expert’s attentiveness to the needs of the elderly can prevent all this from happening, improve a patient’s quality of life and reduce the possibility of a readmission.

A trained coach understands the significance of smooth transition care for senior patients, offers them the best possible level of care, maintains personal health and improvement records and more importantly, encourages the patient to play a proactive part in the recovery process. The service has helped to reduce readmissions among the seniors.

TAGGED:hospital readmissionsseniors
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

CEO’s Sleep: How Many Hours do Entrepreneurs Sleep?

May 31, 2020

Understanding Patient Advocates and Patient Navigators

April 17, 2012
Healthcare Insurance marketplaces
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

Healthcare Insurance Marketplaces: What You Need to Know

June 8, 2013

Coordinating Care by Reporting What Didn’t Happen

March 2, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?