You’re Already Sick, but how do you Stay Well? Taking Charge of Your Health Care

By
Marcinho Savant

SHREVEPORT, La. --- Having just spent six months in an area nursing/rehabilitation center, I have fresh experience in managing self-care. My goal is to share everything I’ve learned with readers, so that they, too, can remain in charge of their health care, treatment, and comfort. Not just for themselves, but for their loved one’s as well.

Not all care facilities are bad. The one I stayed in was marginal. Fair. It was not extraordinary. I found myself there due to a recommendation of somebody else. My urgent surgery required immediate physical therapy for recovery. It was a nightmare.  The administration expressed, and demonstrated, their displeasure with my observations, but that’s all right. I’m the patient, and patients have rights.

Each of us, at some time, may be faced with the challenge of managing the care of a loved one, or ourselves. Do you know what to do?  What your rights are? Who to call for help? I will share this information with you. To begin:

CHOOSING A CARE FACILITY

1.   Check online reviews on various homes, and skilled-nursing facility before contacting them. Online reviews can often be “positively” reviewed by “friends” of that facility or company--- posing as clients. So take the comments found there with a grain of salt.
2.   No care facility is perfect. None of them, but they are not all bad either. You and your loved ones have to know the questions to ask, the answers to expect, and the rights to which you are entitled.
3.   Facilities, and management companies have different impressions of what quality care really is. Some go above and beyond. Others do only the minimum mandated by the state--- in order to stay out of trouble.  Still others just have no clue what “quality” is, and are unable to offer it.
4.   If possible, it is highly recommended that the family, and the patient, if possible--- make a visit to the care facility. Be on the lookout for some tell-tale signs of excellence, such as:
5.   The smell, as soon as you enter the place. Can you smell urine or feces in the air? This might indicate a resident having a recent accident in that area, or poor cleaning standards, and participation.
6.   Ask to be taken on a tour. Discreetly peek into any rooms you pass (empty ones--- so you respect the privacy of the resident) along the way. What conditions do you see? Are the lights working? Are the floors clean? Is the temperature too hot, or too cold?  Did they take you to a “model” room, set up to impress people?
7.   Try to visit more than once, and at varied times, so that you can personally observe the foods being served at mealtimes, in the common dining room the residents use.

  Remember that as a resident, you have the right to have your needs met.  

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About the writer:

Marcinho Savant, a Shreveport/Bossier resident, is a former health care worker in both private-duty, and institutional care environments. He is an author, executive, and performing arts expert. He has expressed a desire to write a recurring column on the subject of health and self-care for the residents of Shreveport/Bossier, if there is a need. There is much to learn about the topic.

Words: 573 with Boilerplate
7-23-15