Marjorie P. Lee Senior Living Blog

Maybe you’re having back or neck surgery to correct years of damage and chronic pain. Or you have an upcoming, elective knee or hip replacement surgery. Or you’re slowly mending in the hospital after having been seriously ill or injured.

And your doctor has informed you that, to continue your recovery and regain your strength, you’ll need a stay in a skilled nursing care center  for short-term rehabilitation before you can safely return home.

 (Katie Laur at Washington Park, Cincinnati OH - 2012 / Photo credit: Jonathan Goolsby / The Lonely House)

It’s not often that we get to care for living legends. Recently, we had the honor to do so when WNKU personality and bluegrass artist Katie Laur came to stay with us for a short-term rehab stay.

Laur is an unusually fine writer. You may have seen her Americana music blog, The KLog: Notes from the Old, Wood-Burning Computer, or her articles in the pages of Cincinnati Magazine. It is in the latter that she wrote a candid account of her convalescence experience at Marjorie P. Lee. She chose us on a recommendation from her friend — another former patient — and we’re honored that she did.

What happens when an older parent or loved one is discharged from the hospital while recovering from an injury, surgery or illness but isn’t well enough to recover at home? What happens when he or she needs a temporary stay in a rehabilitation center to recover strength?

That’s what a short-term rehab facility is for. Luckily, here in Cincinnati, we have several top-notch facilities (including Episcopal Retirement Services’ Marjorie P. Lee retirement home) which serve the needs of physical rehab patients.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Looking for ideas for your elderly mother or grandmother? Is she one of those types who says she doesn’t want or need anything, but you still want to do something special for her — something more original than the old standby of flowers and a nice card?

There are plenty of practical and heartwarming gift ideas for the senior women in your life. Let’s take a look at some of the possibilities and inspire your Mother’s Day shopping.

For seniors recovering from surgery, illness or injury, short-term stays in rehab facilities are sometimes necessary. Such stays can be difficult — not only for your elderly parent, but also for you.

After an illness or injury sends one of your aging parent into a short term rehab program, you may need to assess their home environment to identify areas that are in need of safety or comfort improvements. Even after getting back on their feet, your parent may come home fatigued and weak, which can have a considerable impact on mobility. The changes you make to your parents’ living environment can help reduce the chance of suffering another injury or other complications during the full recovery period. If you cannot secure the home well enough for your liking, you can also consider helping your parents make the move to an all-inclusive assisted living community.

If an elderly loved one has recently suffered a stroke or heart attack or recently undergone heart surgery or a procedure such as an angioplasty or pacemaker implant, the next step in her recovery process is a short term rehab program. And as primary caregiver, you probably have more than a few questions about what you can expect over the coming months.

If you're in the process of selecting a short-term rehab care facility for your loved one, you might feel a little overwhelmed, and you wouldn't be alone. Choosing a care center, especially when there are several to choose from, can be confusing. If you're like most people, you probably have a list of things you're looking for in a rehab center, but you may not have given a lot of thought to what you don't want to find. Here are four red flags you should keep in mind when you get to the touring stage of the selection process:

Choosing a short term rehab center is not exactly like booking a hotel for a business trip, but there are certain similarities that can help make sure that you’re helping mom or dad pick the right program and center. Because a limited stay in rehab is often an interim step between hospitalization and a return home, it can be wise to explore short term rehab facilities in advance of need. Even though, statistically, most people don't expect to need surgery within the next year, a little early planning can't hurt. Some upfront knowledge can be the difference between an unpleasant experience or successful program if care arrangements must be made quickly.

The day your mother is well enough to leave a short term rehab facility and return home should be filled with joy. Instead, for many people, it is a day filled with apprehension. There are a thousand unanswered questions about follow-up treatments, medication, and home care. But for many people, the biggest unanswered question is whether or not mom will be safe at home. While it may not be easy for an elderly parent to reacclimatize to life at home, especially if she lives alone, there are a few things you can do to help make sure that the transition is as safe and smooth as possible.