California collaborative aims to help elders' transitions from hospital to home
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
December 30, 2009
The California Discharge Planning Committee (CDPC) recently launched a multicultural campaign to help elderly patients make a smoother transition to home after being in the hospital, reports New America Media. The group has created a brochure to guide seniors in knowing their rights, and informing them about how to help themselves make a safe transition so they don't wind up back in the hospital. A New England Journal of Medicine study published earlier in 2009 estimated that $17 million is spent annually in the U.S. caring for unnecessarily readmitted patients.
The CDPC hopes that it will help seniors returning home after a hospital stay handle their many medications better, among other things. Often patients can become confused about which medications to take when.
