A client just had an emergency total hip replacement and hadn’t been out of bed yet in the hospital. Surprisingly, she was told they were sending her home the next day! This sweet women was completely dumbfounded!
Assuming she had no choice but to do what the professionals were recommending, she reluctantly prepared herself to go home from the hospital. In my role as her health advocate, I asked her some important questions. “Are you able to get up from the toilet by yourself? Can you get in and out of a car without assistance? Are you able to get yourself out of bed and get dressed in the morning?”
These questions prompted the client and Elder Advocates of CT to meet with the therapists at the hospital and discuss what exactly was needed before she would be able to go home. “I knew I was not ready to go home, but I was not articulating the practical reasons why. Giving thought to all of these unknowns helped me to articulate to the hospital staff why I was not ready to go home.”
The happy ending is that the therapy departments at the hospital addressed these concerns and readied the client to go home at a later date, and with much more confidence than before.
Need help overcoming the stress and confusion of today’s healthcare system? Reach out to Elder Advocates of CT today! Just fill out the simple form below, email aimee@elderadvocatesct.com or call 203-626-2077.
#ElderAdvocatesCT #PatientAdvocacy