patient advocate

Aging Parents

Staci6 Comments

I keep hearing more and more stories of frustration when it comes to caring for aging parents, and it breaks my heart! Nobody likes to think about their parents getting to the point of not being able to care for themselves. Or even worse, when an event such as a fall, broken bone, or illness causes them to suddenly not be able to care for themselves.

Interestingly enough, I came across an article as I was doing some research on this topic that completely piqued my interest. After reading this article, I actually paused and had to rethink, therefore even erase parts of this post! It made me think about the other side to the coin. How are our “aging parents” actually feeling about this stage in their lives? Is loss of independence a big issue?

Although my original intention for this post was going to be resources and tips, I’ve actually been consumed with looking at this from a different angle. I could get lost in the psychology of aging, but I’ll spare you the details! The bottom line for me is that studies have shown that some older adults fear losing their independence more than death. Knowing this means learning that patience and planning are the keywords.

Planning and Patience

Coping with the loss of independence can take time. There may be loss of mobility, social isolation, memory impairment, hearing and vision loss, not to mention the death of loved ones and friends. Helping older adults come to terms with these changes is key.

That being said, patience is not always easy and that’s where planning comes in. I’ve found multiple articles, blogs, and websites that talk about how important planning for the future is. And that doesn’t just mean planning for the usual life events. That means coming up with a plan for caring for the older loved ones in your family, too.

Planning and patience are no small feat when it comes to this topic. I found this article and thought it very useful. Their five steps to creating a caregiving plan for your family are so important:

  • Prepare to talk
  • Form a team
  • Assess needs
  • Make a plan
  • Take action

Unfortunately, I’ve seen my fair share of situations that have left families in despair when they’ve been unprepared for the inevitable. This includes having that difficult discussion about end of life care and choices (more on that later!).

Resources

Of course every family, individual, and situation is different. Even the best laid plans don’t always pan out. That’s why I think it’s so important to have lots of resources at your disposal, along with a lot of support. Here’s some of the articles and websites I found helpful:

  • National Council on Family Relations: ncfr.org

I hope this blog post has been helpful to even one person, or maybe shared with someone who will find it useful. Do you have any tidbits to add to my thoughts? Let me know!

✌️❤️👩‍⚕️

Matters of the heart ❤️

StaciLeave a comment

I couldn’t think of a better topic to start things off with than this, since February is American Heart Month and yours truly is a cardiac nurse! I’ve always said, there’s no point in fixing anything else in your body if your ticker isn’t tuned up and working optimally.

Heart Disease

Cardiovascular disease (heart disease) gets a lot of attention, as it should! It encompasses several “ailments” of the heart, and can affect any body regardless of age and sex. In fact, I keep seeing younger and younger patients that are having heart disease requiring a trip to the cath lab or even my OR. Even scarier to me, is that women often have vague symptoms not typical or textbook.

Having a heart attack is probably one of the scariest situations for people, and their loved ones. Once you say the words “chest pain”, things start happening very quickly in the medical field. Meds are given to ease the pain and to help lower the workload of the heart, EKGs are done, blood drawn. You may even be whisked down the hall, straight to the cardiac cath lab. Hopefully if you ever find yourself in this situation you will have someone, family or friend, that can be with you during this stressful time to be your advocate and support.

Become Educated

There is so much information out there regarding heart health, and my favorite resource is the American Heart Association. Their website is a wealth of helpful tools and tips for all things heart related. I truly wish that everyone was educated on heart health from a reputable source, and that people knew their options when it comes to treatment.

Here’s an informative tool from the Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-disease-risk/itt-20084942

Over the years I’ve had so many patients that get shuffled along the “pipeline” and end up having unnecessary procedures and endure unneeded stress all because they don’t know any better. They are not given all their options and they don’t know to ask!

What are your experiences navigating heart care? Do you have a “scary story”? Is there something you wish you knew more about? Let me know….I’d love to hear!

The Beginning…..

Featured8 Comments

Healthcare is confusing. More and more people are getting “stuck in the system” and frustrated. I hear about it and see it all the time, and I totally get it! I want to help!

Our healthcare system is becoming more and more complex. Technology has driven us into more specialized areas, meaning there’s always a “specialist” for that. Instead of only seeing a Primary Care Provider for most of our healthcare needs, we are being referred out to whatever “specialist” might fit our current ailment. This leads us into the spiral of scheduling more appointments, ridiculous waits to get in to said specialists, and then more “follow up” appointments! 😫

Hospitals can be even worse! You go to a hospital because your sick, so you’re already not at your best, but you need to be on top of your game and knowledgable about what’s going on. Timing and schedules in a hospital are like no other and can be even more frustrating to say the least. I say to my patients all the time that you can’t come to a hospital and expect to keep your clothing, get rest, and eat.

The other side to all of this, is of course, the healthcare providers themselves and the constraints they are dealing with. Insurance and Medicare/Medicaid are dictating more and more the quality of care that can be given, not to mention the time allowed for each patient. Hospitals are being run like businesses and seem more concerned about patient satisfaction surveys than the actual quality of care and treatments.

I want to bridge the gap and help people navigate their healthcare. I want to share my experiences of 18+ years of being an RN to create a community where we can learn and grow.

Follow along, comment, suggest, vent, and share!

Peace ✌️ Love ❤️, and Good Health 👩‍⚕️