Featuring Patricia Edwards, Regional Cardiac Program Social Worker, Southlake Hospital

Duration: 2 minutes, 17 seconds

For planning ahead for cardiac surgery, one of the things you want to think about is are you going home after your surgery? The preference is that you do go home with this in mind: You have the ability to prepare meals in advance – small meals, small portions with no added salt for your heart health.

The second thing you want to do planning for home is having somebody who can assist you at home if you have that available. We’re not going to stress you out as a result of saying you must have somebody, because some people don’t. So if you do have somebody that can come and help you every now and then, great. Things like chores, that’s what you want them to be doing for you.

The other piece that you want to think about is if you decide that home is not where you can go, is there somebody else that can take you in – family member, friends – for a short period of time until you transition out of the hospital into your home.

The services that you’d need once you’re finished with your hospital stay out in the community, wherever that may be, whether it’s home, a friend’s home, family member’s home or in a retirement home, we would arrange for home care for the possibility of having physiotherapy, occupational therapy, wound care and sometimes personal support.

Your healthcare team will determine your eligibility for the various services that homecare provides. If your healthcare team determines that you need rehab beyond what we’re providing here in the hospital, you will be referred to an inpatient rehab program that specializes in cardiac surgical recovery.

If you want more information on discharge options, please contact your healthcare team, which includes your cardiac surgeon, your nurse practitioner, your physiotherapist, occupational therapist and social worker.

Presenter: Ms. Patricia Edwards, Social Worker, Newmarket, ON

Local Practitioners: Social Worker