Mr. E’s Story
Chances are, you or someone close to you has been in the hospital. You may have had a positive experience and left without any complaints. Or maybe not so much. Regardless of your situation, it is likely that there were some points in which things could have gone better for you – decisions made about your care based on what was best for the staff instead of what was best for you; nurses who were too busy to answer all of your questions; doctors who didn’t take the time to explain their diagnosis and treatment plans with enough detail; lack of communication between departments leading to unclear instructions.
In the healthcare world, there are many people who are trying to make a difference. Nurses can be found in hospitals and other settings providing care for patients, often times saving lives. But one particular group of nurses is not typically seen by the general public- nurse patient advocates. What exactly does a Nurse Patient Advocate do? And why should you hire one? Here’s what you need to know about them:
1) They speak up for your rights as a patient
2) They ensure that your voice is heard when it comes to medical decisions
3) They assist with navigating confusing hospital systems and paperwork, including insurance claims
4) They help make sure that your needs are being met during hospital stays or home health
In our last blog post we talked about helping a family deal with Alzheimer’s Disease. In Part 2 of our 2 Part Series, we will focus on how we helped Mr. E and his family cope with his health challenges and his choices on how he wanted to his care to go. He had out of town children including a daughter living in another country and we were able to involve all the family members in planning out Mr. E’s course of action to address his medical needs while following his wishes.
Patient advocates are just that. We do not make choices for you. We educate and interpret all the medical lingo you may be receiving from your care team, clinic, doctor’s etc., and make sure you understand all the information that is being given to you. We advocate for your choices. We will go to bat for you making sure your voice his heard on how you want your health care needs met. We will serve as your primary contact and be your voice across the continuum of care which may include: home, outpatient, acute care in the hospital, skilled nursing facility, rehabilitation, home health and hospice.
Reason Number 1: Coordination of Care: What does this mean? It means we will make sure all your doctor’s and their team of health care providers are all on the same page when it comes to your care and how you want things done. We will make sure you truly want all the treatments and tests that are being suggested and working with you to make sure your voice and your choices are heard. This means we will make sure all your providers know what medications you are taking and making sure everyone is in the loop when changes are made. We review your medical records and educate you on all the finding. We ask the difficult questions. We will ask for 2nd and 3rd opinions if necessary. When health challenges occur, it is easy to become overwhelmed in our health care system. We are here to sort them out with you and give you peace of mind that we are keeping everything under control. Are only purpose being to support you and your family.
If you are looking for experience combined with compassionate care, we may be right for you. The key is that we are in this together. Together, we can make sure you get the care you want and the care you deserve! Our goal is for you to have a successful treatment plan that includes your choices.
Medical knowledge- Nurse patients advocates have more medical knowledge than most people because they work with doctors constantly.
Reason Number 2: Helping You Manage Your Chronic Disease: Many individuals struggle with chronic diseases such as Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Heart Disease, Parkinson’s, and many others can be included on this list. As patient advocates, we can work with you to come up with an individual plan to help you stay on top of your disease and live the best life you can. We will work with you to see what areas you struggle with and look at ways we can help you manage those challenges to have better outcomes. By managing your disease better this will also cut down on your health care costs as well as unnecessary trips to the doctor or hospital. Sometimes just having a better understanding of your disease can help you get better control. This reason would also include helping you manage your medications properly.
Reason Number 3: Provide You with Resources: This can be a very big way we can assist you. There are so many choices out there and we can help sort out what you need and then together we can choose the right resources for you. The internet is full of online directories for elder’s needing care. Many of these provide lists or access to names of people or agencies that may help you but how do you know which one to choose and then what? We can help you make appropriate choices when it comes to things like finding people to assist you in the home, or looking at Assisted Living possibilities, what support groups are out there to assist you, nursing home choices, what equipment you might need, getting your safety needs addressed such as what needs to happen to keep you safe at home, help your addresses specific concerns such as frequent falls, determining if home health or hospice may be appropriate for you and which one to do choose? The list is endless but we know what resources are best utilized to meet your specific needs. We can cut through all the choices and save you time and money trying to figure out which direction to go.
Reason Number 4: Helping You Make Informed Decisions: This may also include helping your family come together to solve any conflict around what type of care should be done. Often times there are struggles within a family with different opinions on how cares should proceed. We can help facilitate those difficult conversations with your family and make sure your wishes are heard and everyone can strive to be on the same page regarding your plan of care.
Helping you to understand your disease process is something we can do so you can make well-informed decisions. The better understanding you have the better prepared you are to make the right choices for you. Oftentimes difficult decisions need to be made regarding a suggested treatment or suggested course of action. We can help you understand your options, review them, and then answer any questions you have so you can make the right decision based on your needs and wants.
Reason Number 5: Provide General Health and Wellness Education Topics and Programs. Courses and classes provided to educate and promote health and wellness across the lifespan.
As R.N.s with a combined experience of over 80 years, we are well prepared to serve you and meet your needs with any health challenges that come your way.
Here is our video recording of how Linda helped Mr. E and his family cope with his health challenges and put a plan in place that met his wishes.
Nurses are the front line for healthcare. They spend more time with patients than any other professional, and they know better what their needs are; because of this, nurses have a unique perspective on patient care that can only be shared by an advocate who is in close contact with them every day. At Your Nurse Advocates Consulting, LLC, we believe that all people deserve to receive compassionate care from those around them- even if it’s not always possible due to insurance or financial limitations. We work hard to offer our clients peace of mind knowing they will never be abandoned when facing illness or injury – regardless of cost or circumstance. If you need someone at your side as you navigate through health issues, call us today! Click here for more information about our how you can obtain our services and get a free checklist on 11 Signs Your Elder Parent or Spouse May Need Help in the Home.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and spend some of your valuable time with us.
We look forward to serving you soon,
Pam, Mary, and Linda
Your Nurse Advocates Team
