KB Times
Katten & Benson, Your Elder Care Law Specialists
June 2011 - Vol 4 Issue 6
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| Did You Know? |
- About 1.7 million people develop hospital acquired infections each year
- About 99,000 people die each year due to hospital acquired infections
Hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent a hospital acquired infection
Centers for Disease Control & Infection
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| K & B Happenings | |
Congratulations to Steve, who was named Outstanding Advocate for Older Adults by the Tarrant County Area Agency on Aging recently!
Please join us in welcoming Chris Campbell, another law intern from Texas Wesleyan. Chris will be with us through June and most of July.
Medicaid Seminar
If you are a professional with a burning desire to learn more about Medicaid eligibility, join us for our first intensive Medicaid seminar on June 2 at Autumn Leaves Fossil Creek. For more information contact Stephanie Vickers with Universal Health Services at 817-451-1404 x 1005. Space is limited, so call now.
Social Security Presentations
Kim will be doing several presentations through the month on Social Security benefits. On June 7 she will be speaking at Cancer Care Services, and on the 16th she will be speaking to the Brain Tumor Support Group. For more information contact Jane Oderberg at Cancer Care Services, or Valerie Oxford at the Moncrief Cancer Institute.
Steve will be out of the office on June 8-10, and again on June 24. Monica will be out of the office June 16-20.
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Hospitals: A Whole Other World
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Have you ever been in a hospital and felt like you were in a foreign country, maybe Cuba? Not everyone goes: you have to be sick or need surgery to get in. The dictator, I mean doctor, is in charge. Nothing happens when you want it to, instead, it happens in it's own good time. And to top it all off, you feel crummy.
Here are a few tips to make your next trip to the hospital a little more bearable:
- Remember that hospitals are full of sick people. Hospital acquired infections are a huge problem, and I wish I could tell you that every hospital employee practices good handwashing, but they don't. NEVER feel bad about asking your doctor, nurse or other provider to wash their hands. It's not always enough to use the hand sanitizer, either. C. Difficil, a very nasty stomach bug, is immune to the alcohol based sanitizers. Washing with soap and water is the only way to combat that particularly nasty bug.
- If you can anticipate your needs, do so. Don't wait until your bladder is bursting before calling for help. Don't wait until your pain is a level 10 before requesting additional pain medicine. The sad truth is that most hospitals run on the barest amount of staff possible, so plan accordingly.
- You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Most hospital staff is overworked. Now, that is no excuse for poor care. Let me say that again--being overworked is not an excuse for poor care. But, you don't have to be mean or rude to make it known that you feel are receiving poor care.
- Be prepared. It speeds the process up if you have copies of your medical power of attorney, directive to physicians, medication lists, medical history, emergency contact information, etc. My favorite patients were the ones who had all that information in a single document I could copy (or keep).
- A hospital is no place for valuables. More than likely you won't be shopping, even online, while in the hospital, so leave credit cards, debit cards and cash at home. If you have your cell phone, figure out some way to keep it secure. I recently visited a client in the hospital, and we couldn't find his cell phone. I called it, and tracked it down: on the floor wrapped up in the dirty bedding that had not been picked up yet. I want to see that place where all the lost dentures go, I'm just saying.
These are only a few tips, based on my own observations and personal experience. Here's hoping you don't have to use any of these tips anytime soon.
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| Molly's Musings | |
Hi, Everyone! As a pet, I want to remind everyone to be sure and have a plan for your four-legged friends in case you have to go to the hospital in an emergency. It will be helpful if you have some kind of notice near your front door that you have pets, so the first responders know what to expect. I'm not a scary looking dog, although I can be really protective of my people, but Oliver, my Rottweiler-German Shepherd brother, can be really fierce looking. It's also important to make sure that you have a trustworthy friend or family member who knows your pets and who can come in and feed them, and that they have a key to the house. I'm going to be upset if Monica has to go to the hospital in an emergency, and I'll be really unhappy if I have to stay at the house alone for several days or if a stranger is coming in to take care of me. It's also a good idea to make sure the back yard is secure, so if you do have to leave your pet outdoors for a day or two they won't be able to get out of the yard and get lost. I hope these ideas help, and I know your pets will appreciate being part of the plan! Molly  |
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Don't forget that we are always here and ready to help with your long term care planning needs.
Sincerely,
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Kim Olmedo, LCSW, CCSM, CSW-G
Elder Care Coordinator
Katten & Benson
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