Furthermore, rules and regulations are detailed and restrictive. Unless you know what to and not to do, it is easy to run afoul of their rules. The world of healthcare is a dangerous place for family caregivers and your family member if you are not well-versed in knowing how to be a patient advocate. When …
Standards of Practice Whether receiving care from a small-town hospital or a nationally owned health system, government agencies maintain strict oversight of the healthcare industry and all associated organizations. Likewise, each healthcare profession maintains standards of practice by which they expect healthcare professionals practicing under their job titles to follow. While each state may vary, …
The Healthcare Team It’s important to know who’s who on the healthcare team anytime you’re interacting with healthcare professionals. Understanding the chain of authority and who handles which type of problems can save you a lot of time and wasted energy. In addition, if you attempt to move forward on an issue without this knowledge, …
Learning How to Do a Health Assessment When I worked as a home health nurse and received a new patient assignment, I always did a health assessment the first time I met the patient. The purpose of the health assessment was to check out the patient from head to toe to see for myself if …
Faith Gives Me Strength I like to share with anyone interested how blessed I am to have Jesus in my life. Without my faith to give me strength during times of crisis, I honestly don’t know how I could have managed many of my past challenges. However, each time I felt despair or fear, my …
Feels Overwhelming. After first becoming a caregiver, one of the most difficult tasks is learning what to keep and let go. With caregiving, you acquired full responsibility for care, decision-making, finances, appointments, health monitoring, supplies, and, let’s not forget, entertainment for possibly someone who doesn’t want you telling them what to do. Yet, at the …
Did I Mean What I Said or Say What I Meant? When two people have a conversation, both come with preconceived ideas regarding how it will go. When getting started as caregivers and planning a difficult conversation about job duties, we sometimes have trouble saying what we mean. Instead of saying what we want to …
As Lynn’s multiple sclerosis has progressed over the years, we have gone through many different mobility assistive devices. Each has been a tremendous help but at each stage along the way, Lynn has resisted using them. Looking back, I wonder if he knew then what he knows now would it have made a difference? For …
Mixing Insulins Read the order to determine the total insulin you will have when the two are combined. Roll the two bottles between your hands to mix each. Clean the tops of each with alcohol Draw up air equal to the dose of NPH insulin to be given. Insert it into the bottle and …
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Behaviors Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a problem of not being able to focus (inattentiveness), being overactive (hyperactivity), not being able to control behavior (impulsivity), or a combination of these beyond the normal age-ability of the individual. It affects both children and adults and is on the increase. Treatment Treatment …
