How a sitter or advocate can help your loved one recover from a hospital or rehab stay
Last time, we identified the top three reasons why being in a hospital or rehab is challenging for an older adult and why it makes the cost of care so expensive. The three reasons are;
Physical inactivity
Dehydration
Complex/multiple comorbidities.
The first thing to do is to put an advocate at the bedside. Any adult can serve as an advocate and you can hire an advocate. Some people use a sitter but you would want to have the sitter serve as an advocate. An advocate is someone who looks out for the best interest of another person. What are some of the things that the sitter/advocate can do to help your loved one get better?
Think of those top three reasons why being in the hospital is challenging.
For inactivity, have your advocate/sitter check in with the nurse to be sure that your loved one gets out of the bed, sit up in the chair or even walk around the room if the doctor's orders do not say "bed rest." Walking will reduce anxiety and prevent deconditioning.
For dehydration, have the sitter/advocate offer small sips of water every half to one hour after checking with the nurse to be sure that there are no fluid or eating restrictions.
Lastly, the reason that your loved one went to the hospital in the first place. Have the sitter/advocate ready with a notebook and two colored ink pens. One color to write down how the day went, who came into the room, what was done and when who asked questions and answered questions. The other color ink would be to write down what the doctor or nurse says when they come into the room. Looking at the notes from the sitter/advocate, you can tell if your loved one is getting better.
If you have a loved one in the hospital or rehab and he/she is not making progress, call or email me and will be here to help you, 503-369-2460 or katie@comfort-makers.com