Pretty good advice, and some useful websites:
Hospital patients urgently need an advocate
So I don't lose the links:
For more help on how to be an advocate for a loved one who's been hospitalized, try these Web sites:
• Caregiver.com
• Hospitalstayhandbook.com
• Cancer.org -- and click on Caregivers.
• Cancer.gov -- and type "When Someone You Love Is Being Treated for Cancer" into the search box.
I've spent a moderate amount of time advocating for friends and loved ones in medical situations, and the advice in the article is good. I especially, especially believe in:
• Always take notes. "Not in an offensive way," Barg says. This serves two purposes. You have details -- dates and names and times -- that help you pinpoint problems and get them fixed. "And, No. 2," Barg says, "it really makes people pay attention."
It's an extension of the "write up your questions for your caregiver before you see them, and write down the answers", which works in outpatient situations just as well -- works well especially for people who have trouble being assertive about getting their questions answered fully, or who forget what they meant to ask. And taking notes really does make the provider stop and think about their answers, rather than blowing things off.
So I don't lose the links:
For more help on how to be an advocate for a loved one who's been hospitalized, try these Web sites:
• Caregiver.com
• Hospitalstayhandbook.com
• Cancer.org -- and click on Caregivers.
• Cancer.gov -- and type "When Someone You Love Is Being Treated for Cancer" into the search box.
I've spent a moderate amount of time advocating for friends and loved ones in medical situations, and the advice in the article is good. I especially, especially believe in:
• Always take notes. "Not in an offensive way," Barg says. This serves two purposes. You have details -- dates and names and times -- that help you pinpoint problems and get them fixed. "And, No. 2," Barg says, "it really makes people pay attention."
It's an extension of the "write up your questions for your caregiver before you see them, and write down the answers", which works in outpatient situations just as well -- works well especially for people who have trouble being assertive about getting their questions answered fully, or who forget what they meant to ask. And taking notes really does make the provider stop and think about their answers, rather than blowing things off.