After-Surgery Care

Your home care team will be overseen by a VNS Health clinician — a nurse or physical therapist, depending on your needs.

Your clinician can: 

• Help you recover in the comfort of your own home
• Review your care needs and keep track of your recovery
• Make sure that you understand your medications and take them correctly
• Talk to your doctor about your recovery progress
• Help you get and use any medical tools needed in your recovery

We want you to feel confident in managing your own care and taking an active role in your recovery. That’s why our clinicians also provide the education you and your family need to help you recover.

After surgery, VNS Health rehab therapists work with you in your recovery process. Our rehab therapists help you set goals for recovery and then cheer you on along the way. Everyone needs someone in their corner — to support you and also to challenge you.

Rehabilitation therapy can include: 

• Physical therapy: Build up your balance, coordination, flexibility, and strength.
• Occupational therapy: Regain your fine motor control — especially after a physical injury or stroke.
• Speech-language therapy: Relearn to speak, improve swallowing, and develop communication techniques.

Our team doesn’t just want you to get better — we also want you to build confidence and independence after surgery. 

Recovering from surgery isn’t just about healing your body — it often includes a mental recovery as well. You may find yourself struggling with anxiety about moving around your home. Or maybe you feel frustrated because certain movements don’t come as easily as they used to. Maybe you feel like more than just your body has changed. 

All of these feelings are natural and deserve attention and care — just like your physical recovery. 

Your VNS Health nurse can help you work through worries and fear. And if necessary, they’ll bring in a behavioral health nurse or social worker. VNS Health social workers are an important part of our team and an important part of after-surgery care. They can help you navigate the emotions that come with surgery, giving you space to talk and understand your feelings. A VNS Health social worker can also help you practice coping skills for today and for your long-term recovery.

When you go home after surgery, real-life responsibilities can easily catch up to you. In the hospital, someone is bringing you meals and changing your sheets. Someone reminds you when to take your medications and can answer your questions. There’s no laundry to do, food to cook, or errands to run.

Trying to juggle all of these responsibilities after you come home can be overwhelming — and we want the number one thing on your to-do list to be recovery. 

Your postsurgery care plan may include a home health aide who can help prepare meals, accompany you to medical appointments, and assist with personal care. 

And if you want assistance beyond what your insurance covers, VNS Health can help with private-pay home health aides. Don’t be afraid to say that you can’t do it all. Sometimes all you need is an extra set of hands to help you heal.