I Always Advise An Advocate

     In the past year or so, it seems that I am surrounded by friends and relatives who have someone in their lives that has become ill and needed hospitalization. As we age, it is inevitable that we will be taking more of an active role in caring for our aging parents. While no one likes to think about the prospect of being the caretaker,  a child more often than not, takes on this responsibility. Even if there is a spouse still alive to take on this task , I find that too much information can become confusing and difficult to retain for the healthy spouse. It creates too much anxiety when they are worried about their loved one.
    I strongly recommend that someone accompanies the patient to the doctor's office and goes into the room with them. You should have questions ready and if necessary, write down all responses,  write down the protocol the doctor expects the patient to follow, the medications, and any other relevant information he discusses. Do not be intimidated by a curt or demeaning physician. Stand your ground.  Do not be rushed.
   If the patient has to be hospitalized, one should be there as much as possible. Specifically, you want to be there when medication is dispensed AND when the doctors typically make their rounds. Too many times the wrong medicine or the wrong dosage is given, or two medicines conflict with one another. Often one doctor isn't aware what another doctor has ordered. All kinds of issues can go wrong-and many mistakes happen all the time. I have had experiences while my children and my mom have been hospitalized, and I have caught  incidents with medication where a disaster was just about to happen. Personally, I suggest you keep a ledger of all nurses, their times on duty, and the meds dispensed and the times they are given. I also keep notes on each morning, afternoon, and evening visit by the doctors, the doctors' names and what they report.
   If you think a nurse is not tending to the relative properly, you must SPEAK UP. If you notice a symptom that has appeared or a reaction, SPEAK UP. Do not be afraid to ask a question, or ask for help, or call the doctor. Follow your instincts. In your gut, you can tell when someone is failing, hurting, or in need of attention. In the final analysis, having an advocate will help facilitate a speedier
recovery,  a more efficient rehabilitation or resolution, and a happier patient.
   It is always nice to know that someone is watching out for you-Especially at a time when you are not capable of doing this for yourself. You will be saving someone's life and that someone is a person you love very much.