LEARNED AT THE HOSPITAL

 


Growing older comes with it the increased potential of a hospital stay. Trust me I know. My experience over the last three years and 4 hospital experiences have taught me valuable lessons. Some personal and some practical.


Some Personal thoughts: 

  • Hospitals take away a certain amount of personal control. You find yourself with lots of time to think about your life. It’s easy to feel vulnerable. You’re not going to live forever. You look out the window and cars are going in every direction. Each with a life inside. You realize the world will go on after you and learn overtime to feel that’s OK. 
  • You find yourself making resolutions about how you want to live the rest of your life. You tell yourself you will apply them, but often don’t after leaving. It’s always important to keep those goals around, even write them down and work toward them.
  • The hospital staff is your adopted family. You need to treat them that way.
  • Your loved ones are a treasure. Always important to be sensitive to helping them deal with your situation and making sure they get enough breaks.
  • You learn that the best currency in life is love.


The Practical Side:

  • Not all hospitals are the same. There are old ones, giant mega health centers and new ones. The new ones are shiny and nice, but sometimes do not have all the services you need. They simply have not had the time to grow supporting banks of specialists, clinics and staff. Careful selection of a hospital can be key.
  • If you have an emergency, its much better to use an ambulance. You tend to get quicker emergency room response than if you drive there.
  • Having a primary care doctor is the gold standard. They can guide you through the “medical matrix” before and after a hospital stay. Other medical specialists can interface with them.
  • Always have your affairs in order. Nothing is worse than seeing family members huddled in a hospital conference room trying to decide on issues like life support for a love one. Make your decisions on these and other medical issues ahead of time and document them.
  • Always remember you are in control of medical decisions. 
  • You can even check yourself out of hospital at any time by signing a release.
  • Some of the medical staff like the Physical Therapy (PT) department are invaluable in regard to getting you on your feet again. If offered PT after release, take it. You will recover faster.
  • Getting familiar with the various emergency and hospital services available can save you and your care givers a huge amount of time. This includes learning about parking available. 
  • Have the best insurance you can afford. The hospital “rack rates” will bury you otherwise.


Hospital stays are always going to be different than you imagine. We are lucky in this country to have the wealth of health care we do. These are just a few thoughts that may help if you need a hospital. I wish you the best of health. 




"A hospital bed is like a parked taxi with its meter running" - Groucho Marks


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