If you or a loved one is facing a long recuperation time from a surgery, a chronic illness or an injury, you have to be prepared. The kind of equipment, medical or otherwise, you’ll require will of course depend on your condition, your specific health needs, and the orders given to you by your doctor. For instance, you may need to do dressing changes several times a day and special soaks for the area, but other than that you don’t really need anything. Others will have specialized needs for every aspect of their lives from their nutrition, to their sleeping arrangements, and mobility. Every situation is different and every person’s requirements will differ. As the patient recovers, he or she will find need things to be done differently. In the first few days, you may find that you need to have more equipment, medical devices and assistance than you would have imagined necessary.
How to Determine What You Actually Need
If you are stepping down from hospital care or even from a convalescent home, you should consider everything you have been using there including equipment, medical devices and mobility aids and decide which you could do without. Before you leave, your doctor will probably ask that an occupational or physical therapist evaluate you before your discharge. What they will look at is your ability to feed, dress and bathe yourself as well as how well you can move around on your own. They will want you to be able to take yourself to and from the restroom or expect that the skill will come back to you.
Again, depending on your condition, your need for equipment, medical attention, and the like could be the same as your need in the hospital or lower for your home use.
In some cases, when you need medical equipment, medical representatives will offer suggestions for what you need to have to safely return to your home, however, while the majority of these people legitimately want to help, there are those who will only want to make a high commission on a family that is already dealing with a serious condition.
If there are several pieces of equipment in your hospital room that are not being used at all, then you will know that you obviously do not need those. If there are several that you use every day however, then you may need them- but your doctor might prefer that you do not use them.
How to Get What You Need for Nutrition
After the doctor, the physical therapist or occupational therapist helps you determine what you need, there are several ways to get the various types of equipment, medical supplies, and mobility aids that you need. Some items may require a doctor’s prescription to be covered by your insurance while other items are reasonably priced and can be rented at medical supply stores. Other items, such as nutritional items or wound care supplies will have to be purchased and then replenished as they are used up.
The doctor will have several suggestions for what is needed and may have specific guidelines for nutritional supplies. Meal replacement drinks will probably be suggested, especially for those who cannot or will not handle solid food or those who just do not have an appetite.
There are several options to consider, but many of them are heavy and large and may be very difficult to consume for many recuperating patients. A better option may be Isometric; the world’s smallest and most balanced meal replacement drink; it has two servings of fruits and vegetables making it perfect for recovering patients and others who are not getting the right nutrition. It also has ten grams of fiber, another important need for those who are not moving around enough and may be having problems going to the bathroom. Isometric also has 6 grams of essential fatty acids including Omega 3 and Omega 6 as well as 27 vitamins and minerals. It is just over three ounces in size and is available in several flavors.
Isometric and other protein supplements, snacks, and meal replacement drinks are available online at www.protica.com. Some items from the Protica product line are available in limited retail locations as well.
Other Supplies
Some people just love gadgets and may go crazy shopping for equipment, medical supplies, and renting or even buying things they do not really need. An electric hospital bed is a great thing for someone who is looking for many months of recovery time, but is a big and mostly needless investment for someone who will be back on their feet and back to work in a few weeks. Why get a bedside commode if the person can walk five feet to the toilet? The doctor may want the patient to exercise.
A person who is recovering from a broken hip may be hesitant to use their legs, afraid that they will fall again or that it will hurt. They will grow accustomed to using the bedside commode and may refuse to walk like they are supposed to.
A patient may also need additional supplies such as positioning devices or mobility aids.
Positioning devices can include bolsters and wedges and household pillows or rolled towels can be used as substitutes for these items. Mobility aids, such as walkers, canes and crutches, should be custom fitted to you so that they are safe. Your doctor will also want you to be instructed on their safe use before you go home. You may also need to use a wheelchair when you are going out of the house for longer periods of time.
For those who are going to be in the wheelchair for longer periods of time, there are additional considerations, including gel pads that prevent pressure sores to the backside and lower back. Whether you need a power chair or just a manual folding chair will depend on your exact condition and your expected recovery.
When You Are Done with the Equipment
If you have rented your equipment medical, you simply return the items as arranged. If you bought items and then find out that you no longer need them, you can return them if unused (in some cases and with some products), you can try to sell them or you can store them in case of need in future years. With certain types of nutritional supplements, it is best to use them only for the person they were prescribed for. Isometric, on the other hand, can be used by anyone at anytime, whether they are recuperating from illness or not.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein drinks for bariatric surgery patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright