This past weekend a small group of friends and I visited a friend of ours who was in intensive care after he experienced complications from gall bladder surgery. He was telling us about a terrible experience he had with one of the nurses who was caring for him in a different wing of the hospital right after his surgery. According to him, the nurse was openly hostile a few times and did not respond to his reports of the physical discomfort which was an indicator of the trauma eventually causing his trip to the ICU. He was worried about reporting the nurse to the hospital complaint line, as he would be returning to that ward within a few days and feared retribution.

One of our friends, a hospital based therapist, said that not only should he report his concerns, but also said that whenever a patient or caregiver of a patient in the hospital where she works takes notes, the staff is seen to pay specific and positive attention to that patient. That was a revelation for the rest of us in the room. For me, knowing as many dedicated care professionals as I do, I could see that the note-taking would not bother them, but as in my friend's case, it is nice to see that proactive involvement is not only nothing to fear, but would be noticed and appreciated by the majority of care professionals.

Fearless Caregiver Manifesto
Principle Two

I will fearlessly make my voice be heard with regard to my loved ones care and be a strong ally to those professional caregivers committed to caring for my loved one and a fearless shield against those not committed to caring for my loved one.
 

 

 

Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com