Today I had a lunch and learn with a local physician and educated her on our services. I was amazed over the past six months in meeting local physicians that they have no clue what services are available to help assist their patients. Keep in mind I am not a Nurse or have any formal medical training. I am in the trenches with the families and educate myself daily on issues we come across. The medical community needs to come up with an great idea to educate their patients to give them the power to remain safe in their homes.
I came home last week from an appointment with my older son Alex fully loaded with everything he needs to know to have his wisdom teeth pulled. They had a small booklet loaded with information on what to expect and how to prepare for this procedure. This is perfect for preparing for one patient for one procedure.
What can we do next? We need to take this idea and maybe create a goody bag for discharge planners and social workers to give older adults when they go back home after being discharged from a nursing home or hospital. Many times they are released and have no plan of action for this patient. Do they have a support system at home? If they cannot walk with assistance who will be home with them until they become independent again? How will they provide nutrition or prepare their own meals? We could go on and on. We see this first hand even with our own clients. We get a call stating they are coming home and have no idea what is expected or what the hospital discussed with them. We attempt to always be present but sometimes they are just pushing them through the system and communication falls into the cracks. We never have a clear picture.
What can you do? Be an advocate. Educate yourself. Ask questions and make sure you understand the answer they give you. If you do not agree tell them and why. Physician are humans and they cannot know everything. My son Jesse had this really funky rash on his forearms one summer that looked like spaghetti. We brought him to his doctor. The doctor looked at it and was puzzled and upfront with us. He asked if we could wait a bit to bring in another physician and both were perplexed. He stated he would do some research and call us later that evening. This is a true professional. He needed to find the right diagnosis and he did with some research.
I also recently met with a family and her mother was just diagnosed with a very rare disease that mirrors Parkinson's disease but is not Parkinson's disease. She was being treated and still declining steadily. The daughter was a TRUE advocate for her mother and she was persistent with the physician and ultimately they worked together and found the real diagnosis.
Lesson learned is educate, educate, advocate advocate!
