Since she has diabetes, is in a pain management program and had only just begun with a return of a sinus infection and his own complications with diabetes. …
Family Caregiver Newsletter - April 2008
| | |
| |The Caregiver Experience in the Hospital, Part 2: |
| |The Hospital Stay |
| |
|Editors Note: This is the second part of a caregiver experience that started with |
|an emergency room visit and in this article focuses on the hospital stay |
| |
|How can you possibly plan ahead for the unexpected hospitalization of a family |
|member, especially an older parent? Well, you cant Sure, you can have all |
|important papers and phone numbers, insurance cards, and a list of medications but |
|when it happens you just deal with it moment by moment Although my mother and I had|
|talked about medical power of attorney before it was never the right time for her to |
|actually sign it and she does not believe in a living will Fortunately, she was |
|alert enough to make
her own decisions |
|After several hours in the emergency room the doctor diagnosed an acute kidney |
|infection and unstable blood sugar levels She was admitted to the hospital for 4-5 |
|days of anti-biotic treatment and to stabilize her diabetes |
| |
|Almost 15 hours after I got the call from her that she was very ill and needed me, my|
|mother was admitted to the hospital and was sleeping in her room at 1:00 am I went|
|home but I could not sleep thinking about everything that I needed to do to be ready |
|for the uncertainties of her hospital stay After a few hours of sleep, I cancelled |
|the meetings that I could and called associates asking for help to cover appointments|
|over the next few days This all took several hours to arrange, especially not |
|knowing how many days would be affected Those things I could not re-schedule I |
|tended to For the rest of the work week I worked, monitored my mothers care during|
|the day and spent the evenings in the hospital
|
| |
|With my mother on antibiotics and sleeping during most of the day I relied on the |
|nursing station to provide updates on her condition until I got to the hospital in |
|the afternoons However, it was often difficult to reach anyone by telephone Since|
|she has diabetes, is in a pain management program and had only just begun seeing a |
|new gynecologist my mother had no primary care physician We relied on the |
|hospitals on call doctor with whom my mother never really felt comfortable |
| |
|She seemed to always be asleep when she had her few visitors Although my brother |
|and sister in law came to the hospital the first night and then he came again the |
|next day she was asleep both times By the third day my brother was sick again |
|himself with a return of a sinus infection and his own complications with diabetes |
|There was no other family that could help |
|
|
|My husband? I saw him twice in 5 days because I was asleep when he left for work and|
|at the hospital until after he went to bed He called me at least once a day to see |
|how I was and what he could do |
| |
|What were we going to do when she got better and went home? Her blood sugar |
|continued to vary widely We never knew when the doctor was going to come in The |
|day before she was discharged the doctor did come in when I was there in the |
|afternoon The doctor suggested home health to help monitor her blood sugar even |
|though it was a kidney infection that took her to the hospital The doctor wrote an |
|order for the hospital social workers to find a home health agency |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|After a mid Sunday afternoon visit the doctor discharged my mother but it was almost |
|4 hours before we were finally able to go home They sent us home with a handful of|
|prescriptions Knowing that even if we dropped off the prescriptions on the way home|
|I would need to go back out and pick them up I asked the hospital if they could |
|call in the prescriptions They told me that they could not do that I suggested |
|they fax the prescriptions Although it was highly unusual, they agreed |
|Unfortunately, the pharmacy was out of stock for one of the prescriptions |
| |
|According to my mother, the hospital, one of the highest rated in the area, was good|
|However, she said the worst parts were the food, delayed responses from the call |
|button, differences in the attitudes of staff, and not caring for her doctor The |
|best part for her was two exceptional nurses who acted like they cared and were very |
|congenial
|
| |
|Lessons Learned: |
| |
|Take the initiative |
|Keep asking questions when you dont know what is going on or dont understand |
|Start planning ahead about what may need to be done when the older adult goes home |
| |
|Try to meet and talk with the primary doctor caring for your loved one Treat him or|
|her with respect but dont be afraid to ask questions and for things to be explained |
|in language that you and the older family member understand |
|Learn the hospital routine and staffing Because of different schedules you may not |
|always have the same nurses, aides and other staff |
|Personalities differ and you may find that with at least one or more of the staff
you|
|communicate easily with or your family member is comfortable with |
|Learn the schedule of the hospital When are breakfasts, lunches and dinners so that|
|you can call around those times and not wake the patient? |
|When no one responds to a call button within five minutes, try again If no one |
|comes within another few minutes, go to the nurses station and ask for help Be |
|kind They have a tough job with other patients to care for, lots of paperwork and |
|probably not enough staff |
|When she/he sleeps, you rest Take books, magazines, and CD players/iPods/MP3 players|
|with books or music for yourself and the patient, if approved by the hospital staff |
| |
|If you are not comfortable with the level of care, spend the night Most hospitals |
|either have chairs that fold down into beds in the rooms or will provide pillows and |
|a blanked Take the initiative and ask |
|If you work, talk to your employer about what is going on If
you have not already |
|done so previously, ask about options Many people are surprised how supportive an |
|individual supervisor or company can be |
|If you work and it is possible, take time off to spend more time in the hospital with|
|your loved one or get rest yourself Remember that while she or he is in the |
|hospital they are getting care but that once they are discharged their care may be |
|your responsibility and you need to stay as rested as possible |
|Ask to talk to the social worker or someone from social services and find out what |
|help might be available once your loved one is discharged These professionals can |
|also help you and your loved one understand hospital procedures |
| |
| |
|Call family members and ask them to not only visit the patient but if they are |
|willing to spend the night Remember, it is not just about the patient, it is also |
|about your stamina and ability to
balance other demands in your life |
|Ask them to do it for the older adult or if not for them, then for you |
|If they say: I am really busy right now or I dont have time you say, I know |
|what you mean I have had to change some appointments, missed work, and havent seen|
|my family I really need your help |
|Stay away from statements like you need to help or any sentence that starts with |
|you as it is likely to make someone defensive |
|Be assertive but not demanding |
|Be persistent |
|About Prescriptions given at discharge: what can you get at the hospital on |
|discharge? Can the doctor or staff call in the prescription so that it is ready for |
|you to pick up? Can they fax the script to the pharmacy? Call the pharmacy and ask |
|for that number to make this go smoothly |
|Next time: After the Hospital and Home Care, Part 3 |
|
|
|Edited by Zanda Hilger |
| |
| |
|Caregiver Education presentations in your community |
|Email caregiver@flashnet and request schedule To schedule a caregiver seminar or |
|have a guest speaker about caregiving, please send email to caregiver@flashnet |
| |
| |
|Area Agencies on Aging, funded through the Texas Department of Aging and Disability |
|Services DADS, provide information about help that a caregiver or older adult might|
|receive |
| |
|
|
|Call 2-1-1 for caregiver services and help for persons age 60 and older or contact |
|the local Area Agency on Aging in your community |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
