Blog > What Should You Arrange Before Your Mom Undergoes Surgery?

What Should You Arrange Before Your Mom Undergoes Surgery?

It’s estimated that about half of all adults 65 or older will need surgery at least once in their lifetime. Recovery times can be impacted by health, the medications that adult is taking, and support at home.

Certain over-the-counter supplements and prescription medications increase the risk of bleeding during surgery. Your mom will need to stop taking some of them for at least a week before her surgery. For things like prescription iron supplements, that week without her pills may find her feeling more tired than usual until her iron levels stabilize.

If you live miles away, your mom needs someone to support her during her recovery. Have you talked to her about 24-hour home care?

Common Restrictions After a Surgery

The most common restriction following surgery involves lifting, pushing, or pulling items. If your mom is told not to lift anything over a certain weight, she needs to follow through. She needs to let someone else take over for however many weeks.

Following her surgery, your mom will need to check her incisions. For laparoscopic surgery, the incisions will be tiny. If surgical glue is used, the care may be less than if she has sutures covered in bandages. With surgical glue, bandages aren’t always used. Your mom needs to avoid pulling off the glue.

Your mom’s surgeon will tell her to take it easy. Sometimes, activity, such as a walk around the neighborhood, may be advised to avoid blood clots forming in her legs. She might need to have someone support her while she walks. A home care aide is helpful for this.

If she wakes up in the middle of the night when using prescription pain medications, she needs someone to support her. You don’t want her to stand up, feel dizzy, and fall. With a 24-hour home care aide, she has the support she needs.

Cooking meals may be taxing following her surgery. She can have caregivers available throughout the day and night to prepare meals, sit with her while she eats, and clean up after.

If she was intubated, her throat might feel sore and scratchy. It can be painful to swallow. Having someone there for support while she eats will comfort your mom.

Arrange Home Care Services After Talking to Her Surgeons

Make sure you’ve arranged to have 24-hour home care aides with your mom for a few weeks. Talk to her surgeon to learn more about her recovery plan. Her surgeon’s probably told her not to lift anything heavy for two weeks. Will she avoid doing laundry or lifting a heavy pan from the oven if she’s alone?

By arranging 24-hour home care services, your mom has caregivers available throughout the day and night. They can wake her to remind her to take her next pain medication. She’ll have help with laundry and housework. Plus, she has the companionship she needs to avoid feeling alone while she’s recovering.