Whether you or a loved one has an upcoming surgery scheduled, preparation is key. Contemplating everything you need to get done around the house before your operation can be overwhelming, but breaking tasks into manageable schedules can help a lot.
Setting up several simple spaces will simplify recovery, ensuring you have adequate time to rest and recuperate. Today, we’ll explore how you can set your home up for success before an operation.
Create a Comfortable Recovery Zone
Establishing a dedicated recovery zone within your home is essential for post-surgery comfort and convenience. Stairs may be difficult and dangerous the first few days at home, especially if medication leaves you feeling fatigued and sluggish. Set up a comfortable space in your living room, ideally, where you can sleep if your bedroom is upstairs.
Your recovery space should include:
- A bed or recliner: You’ll need somewhere to sleep and rest with proper elevation of your surgical site, and an adjustable bed or reclining chair can help you change positions without straining.
- Accessible walkways: Move furniture so that you can easily walk around the room without trip hazards getting in the way. If you’ll need a postoperative carer, make sure there’s enough room around the bed for them to work.
- Proper lighting: Install adjustable lights that can be dimmed or brightened as needed. Smart lighting can be adjusted from your phone, so you don’t have to keep moving around.
- Temperature control: Consider setting up a portable fan nearby with a remote control for extra convenience, and adding extra blankets for added warmth and comfort.
- Essential items: Organise your essentials to keep them within arm’s reach from your bed or chair. A rolling bedside table or cart can keep medications, water, tissues, your mobile phone and remote controls easily accessible.
Gather as Many Essential Supplies as You Can
The more essentials you have at home after surgery, the less likely you are to have to run to the shops or ask loved ones to bring you things you need. Instead of worrying about last-minute shopping trips, you can rest comfortably at home.
Medical Supplies
Ask your doctor, surgeon or nurse which medical supplies they recommend having at home. These will help with wound care and comfort during the first days and weeks of recovery.
Your healthcare provider may recommend:
- Gauze, medical tape and antiseptic wipes for wound care
- Thermometer to monitor for signs of potential infection
- Ice packs or cooling gel pads for swelling management
- Compression garments as recommended by your surgeon
- OTC pain relievers to keep you comfortable
- Prescription medications and a medicine chart from your doctor
Personal Hygiene Essentials
Your personal care routine might be harder to stick to during your postoperative period, especially if your bathroom is upstairs or you can’t lower yourself into a bath safely.
To help keep yourself feeling fresh throughout recovery, consider buying:
- Dry shampoo to keep your hair clean
- Moist cleansing wipes for freshening up
- Hand sanitiser for you and guests
- Disposable bed protectors if appropriate for your procedure
Comfort Items
Aside from necessities needed to make recovery easier, your comfort is just as important. Comfort improves mental and emotional well-being and can encourage more rest, leading to quicker physical recovery.
Comfort items to consider include:
- Extra pillows for proper positioning and elevation
- A wedge pillow, specially designed for post-surgical recovery
- Loose clothing that won’t irritate your surgical site
- Slip-on shoes to avoid bending
- A grabber tool to reach items without stretching
Complete Any Outstanding Errands
The goal of postoperative recovery is often to stay at home for as long as possible while you recover before having to go out. Running errands before your surgery date prevents any outstanding tasks from being left on your to-do list during the first few weeks at home.
Common errands you may need to plan for include:
- Food shopping
- Laundry or picking up dry cleaning
- Pick up prescriptions
- Buy enough pet food to account for your downtime
Making sure you’re caught up on your errands means you won’t have to worry about them when you’re not feeling your best. You also won’t have to ask loved ones to rush around and help you with missed errands.
Improve Accessibility Around Your Home
Improving accessibility around your home is essential for maintaining independence and safety during your recovery period. Take a walk around your home, where you’ll be spending most of your time while recovering, and check for hazards that may become an issue with limited mobility. Look for low furniture, loose carpets or rugs and exposed wires, and remove them wherever possible.
Certain surgeries may result in significant mobility limitations, so you may want to consider renting mobility aids in advance. These could include walking frames, crutches or a wheelchair.
Bathroom accessibility is a crucial consideration for a smooth recovery. Consider installing temporary grab bars and handrails near the toilet and bath. Add a shower chair or hoist to make bathing easier and reduce the risk of falls. Add non-slip mats inside and outside the shower for additional security.
Meal Planning and Food Preparation Before Surgery
Proper nutrition plays a pivotal role in postoperative recovery, but preparing meals can be challenging immediately after surgery. Planning meals and freezing portions before your surgery can help alleviate the burden after you return home.
If you freeze portions of recipes rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, all you’ll have to do is heat one up for each meal. Keep healthy snacks close to your bed if you’re worried about not having enough energy to reach the kitchen multiple times a day.
Hydration is also incredibly important after surgery to aid with wound healing, mental health and other physical symptoms. Consider buying a large, insulated water bottle to keep by your bedside to avoid having to refill it multiple times a day.
To learn more about post-operative nutrition, we have a handy guide on foods that promote faster healing and what to avoid.
Smart Home Modifications to Support Healing
Introducing thoughtful home modifications before surgery can improve your recovery experience by creating an environment that supports healing while minimising strain and potential complications.
Consider the following modifications before leaving for the hospital:
- Communication devices: Talking to loved ones has never been more important than after an operation, so making sure your mobile phone is usable and fully charged at all times is essential.
- Furniture adaptations: Depending on the intensity of your recovery, you may find furniture upgrades useful. Hoists, easy-to-use appliances, and stairlifts are helpful post-surgery.
- Thermostat and heating devices: The ability to adjust the heating of your home is excellent after an operation, to remain comfortable without having to stand up repeatedly.
- Home assistants: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomePod make it easy for you to set reminders, play games, and talk to people without having to move.
- Video doorbell: A video doorbell can help you see who’s at your door and communicate with them without having to walk to the front entrance.
Technology and Entertainment for Your Downtime
It’s normal for postoperative care to include a few days of immobility in bed or your recliner chair. To prevent boredom and the risk of injury from excessive movement, ensure you have a variety of entertainment sources readily available in your comfortable space.
Consider new books, movies, games and puzzle books. If your surgery is likely to leave you feeling too weak to hold a book, an e-reader or audiobooks might help you remain entertained while recovering. You could also ask loved ones to visit you for some much-needed socialisation.
Build a Postoperative Support System
Even with plenty of preparation before your planned surgery, many postoperative patients can feel overwhelmed or isolated after returning home. Knowing when to seek help and where to find it is essential for recovery.
Friends and family members can support postoperative recovery if they live nearby, but they may not be able to provide as much assistance as you need, depending on their work and family schedules. You could also lean on neighbours for transportation back from the hospital.
You might wonder what to do if you have no one to take care of you after surgery. Live-in care from Country Cousins is an excellent option for individuals who require short-term assistance with daily tasks while recovering from an illness or injury. Depending on your needs, we can assist with daily routines, chores and mobility.
Learn more about arranging care after hospital discharge to make sure you return home, confident in the knowledge that you’ll be properly cared for throughout your recovery period by compassionate carers.
Talk to Our Team Today
As the UK’s longest-serving introductory live-in care agency, we have been providing compassionate live-in care to those who need it since 1959 – all from the comfort of their own homes.
Give us a call today on 01293 224 706. Our experienced team is on hand to help from Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Alternatively, contact us through our online enquiry form.
