Avoid readmission to the hospital by paying more attention to your discharge

The last thing anyone wants to do when they come home from a hospital stay is to return to the hospital. Readmission rates seem to be on the rise, especially readmissions within 30 days. It is estimated that approximately 20% of patients admitted over the age of 65, will be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. Although some of these readmissions are planned, many of them are not and can be avoided. 

Giving Thanks for a Bountiful Harvest: Celebrating Caregivers.

Many years ago in Europe, festivals were held before and after the harvest cycles to give thanks for a plentiful crop. This was also a time for the community to celebrate the hard work done by all. The people sacrificed their individual needs for the good of the community. These celebrations were combined into what we all know as Thanksgiving Day. It’s one day for each of us to reflect and give thanks for a plentiful “harvest”.

It is during this Thanksgiving week, that we can celebrate the hard work done by the many caregivers and the sacrifices they make for the good of their families – their “community". Caregiving can sometimes be a thankless job, one that isn’t often recognized as important and vital to sustaining a community. But it is the quintessential selfless role that many play, ensuring a plentiful harvest for years to come.

How can you support and celebrate caregivers during this Thanksgiving week?  Consider the following:

•  Offer to stay with their loved one for an afternoon to allow the caregiver a few hours to themselves
•  Offer to cook a meal
•  Run errands, i.e. post office, dry cleaners, or grocery shopping, etc.
•  Hire somebody to clean their house, shovel their snow, rake their leaves or cut their grass
•  Do their laundry
•  Take their kids out for the day
• Sit with their loved one while they attend church

Not sure? Just ask. “What can I do for you today?”

The key is to recognize their sacrifices and hard work by celebrating and supporting what they do. They take care of those that worked hard to give us the plentiful harvest we enjoy today.

May you all have a healthy and joyous Thanksgiving Holiday. Take care and be well.

R.Thompson, MSN, RN

To find out how advocacy can help you or your loved one, please contact the advocates at Uppta at www.uppta.com

Every Patient has a Story: Putting your story together when you need it most.

Illness doesn’t discriminate. From the very young to the very old, people may find themselves faced with an unexpected illness or injury.  When this occurs, they seek medical care.  To enable health care providers to make good decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment, they rely on a full understanding of a patient’s “story” or medical history. 

A Common Purpose: Celebrating Veterans Day

On October 8 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation" which stated: "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.”  Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans, living or deceased, but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime. This day honors the men and women that have served our country under a common purpose, as Eisenhower stated. It is this common purpose that joins a diverse group of people together in times of need. This common purpose is also the heart and soul of advocacy.

Speaking the Language of Medicine. Do you need an interpreter?

Nursing schools and medical schools teach students everything there is to know about the body; how it works, what could potentially go wrong and how to treat it. A part of that learning seems to involve learning a whole new language; NPO, infarction, ostomy, ectomy, itis, and ischemia are common words. At first, students often struggle learning the language but over time, just like learning Spanish or Italian, it becomes a part of who you are. Even when playing the role of patient or caregiver, health care providers speak the language of medicine and are easily identified by other health care providers. I can remember when my daughters were little and had to have tubes in their ears having conversations with the nurses, physicians and anesthesiologists in the pre-op area. As soon as I said a word only spoken by health care providers such as NPO, or conscious sedation, they would immediately recognize me as a colleague. “Oh. Are you a nurse or doctor?” they would ask. Funny, I didn’t even realize that I was using the secret language!