If you have never been seriously ill or injured, you may not know that there exists something called convalescent care. In British Columbia, there are both public and private sector options for convalescent care. In today’s blog article we are going to talk about what convalescent care is and what the benefits of it are.

What Is Convalescent Care?

Today, especially during COVID, hospital stays tend to be short. But sometimes, following illness or injury, a person no longer needs to be in the hospital, but is not quite ready to be on their own again, either. This is where convalescent care comes into the picture.

Convalescent care is that in-between or transitional care that is sometimes needed after a hospital stay to help a patient recover more. When someone is released from the hospital, that person may not yet be quite as mobile or agile or feeling well enough to be on their own. Convalescent care is supportive but not as intensive as in the hospital. For example, senior who has had a broken leg or hip, may need some convalescent care after a hospital stay in order to have lots of physical therapy and regain strength and mobility before being or going home alone.

Benefits

The benefits of convalescent care are several. First of all, the patient is less stressed because he or she may be feeling not quite ready to be back to all their old tricks. Not being stressed and worried is important for worry-free healing.

Second, convalescent care is like a bridge. One can take advantage of its availability to continue on the road to recovery without feeling rushed to do more than one feels ready for.

Third, there are many different options for convalescent care. There are public, private, at-home, and subsidized convalescent care possibilities. So, a patient can have some choice in the matter.

Fourth, convalescent care is provided by professionals. That means the care is likely better than care provided haphazardly by friends or relatives.

Many private care communities like ours in Kamloops, called The Hamlets at Westsyde, that already have care available for residents, also offer interim convalescent care. Convalescent care is typically arranged while the patient is in the hospital, either by the patient, his or her family, or a nurse or social worker (case manager) assigned to that patient.