The answer is: Yes!

Whenever a patient, whether or not the patient is a Senior, is admitted overnight to stay in a hospital, we recommend that someone else stay with them at all times to advocate for them, to be an observer/witness for what takes place, and to be there for them when they need help. This advocate can be a family member or friend, and when family or friends are not available, we recommend that the patient or the patient’s family have a professional caregiver stay with the patient in their room.

I recently was admitted for one night at one of our local hospitals following surgery earlier in the day. The surgery went well and I was admitted to a room for a night to recover while they watched me to make sure I was all right. Because we frequently help others navigate the healthcare system, we knew enough to plan for my wife to stay with me, and it was a good thing that she did.

I was only awake for brief periods of time but when I did wake up, it was usually because I had to go to the bathroom. The nurses on the floor had told me that I could not get up to go to the bathroom without their assistance, and so the first few times that I needed their help we called one of them using the call button. On each occasion, a nurse promised to help and then left. Each time, after waiting an hour for them to come back, my wife assisted me and we did fine. After that, we didn’t bother asking for help.

If I had not had my wife there as a caregiver and advocate, my night would have been terrible. Thanks to her help, I was able to get through the night successfully and I was allowed to go home the next day.

Note that this occurred at the best hospital available to us. I wouldn’t have agreed to stay at either of the other two local hospitals, because we some of our elderly clients have been discharged from those hospitals with MRSA infections that they acquired during their stays at those hospitals. These are so-called HAIs, Healthcare-Associated Infections; they are also called nosocomial infections which means infections that are the result of treatment in a hospital that are not secondary results of the patient’s original reason for hospitalization.

If at all possible, you should have family or friends go with your parent when they are admitted to the hospital. If not, please have a professional home care company provide a caregiver to go with your parent, for all the reasons mentioned here. I am scheduled to be admitted for a second operation soon, at the same hospital, and I will definitely have someone go with me to to stay in my room overnight again.

By the way, I am NOT an anti-medical-establishment person. In fact, I grew up in a doctor’s family and I believe that we have the best health care system in the world. However, very often it is wise to have a person go with you to advocate, help and watch when you are going to be incapacitated in a medical care setting (or any other setting, for that matter.)

We welcome the opportunity to help you and your loved ones within our GCM service area, which is North San Diego  County. You can find out more about us by visiting our website at A Servant’s Heart Senior Care.

 

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