Discharge Planning
Thorough and appropriate discharge planning is likely to have a number of beneficial effects: The older patient is likely to receive continuity of care following their discharge; the likelihood of readmission is minimised; and the patient is more likely to be able to remain in the community rather than move into a higher level of care. Increasingly, older people are being discharged from acute care after an exacerbation of one or more chronic conditions. When they go home, they may have a range of needs for specialised healthcare or follow-up, rehabilitation, and short- or long-term non-clinical support services.
For discharge planning to be effective, it needs to be collaborative, involving the older patient, their carers and family. Decisions should be made by all involved, so that the plan is realistic, appropriate and achievable. Follow-up services need to be available, accessible, and affordable for the person who will be using them.
Factors relating to the older client's cultural background may also have a large impact on discharge planning. Click here to access a story that illustrates some of these issues.
The next three pages of this course module pose a series of multiple choice questions to quiz you on what you have learned.
Thinking challenge
