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Patient Advocate Form: What it is and why you need one

Bridgewalk TexMary

Who will follow your wishes for your healthcare decisions if you are incapacitated and unable to make the decisions for yourself? Hopefully you designated that person on a Patient Advocate form. 

This month we are focusing on what health legal documents you need before you go to the hospital. If you missed the introduction to this series, you can find it here: The Health Legal Documents You Need Before You Go to the Hospital.

This document was very important for my mother when she was taken by ambulance to the hospital after a stroke on Labor Day evening. She and my father happily walked the Mackinac Bridge that day as they did every Labor Day for 25 years.

As you can see from this picture which was taken right after my parent’s finished their bridge walk, my mother was a vibrant, energetic 77-year-old retired nurse who felt very strongly that if she was not able to live a full life, she was comfortable with passing away. She didn’t want any extraordinary measures taken, such as major surgeries, ventilators, feeding tubes, and so on. Because she had made her wishes very clear in her Patient Advocate form there was no question among me and my five brothers and sisters as to what we should tell the doctors.

We were lucky that my mom was clear about her wishes. Many families do not have this document so the family argues about what should be done while their loved one lingers in the hospital.

It is also important to know that doctors differ in their views of end of life. Some doctors and hospitals insist that everything be done that can be done. They are concerned about being sued for malpractice or they have their own religious views.

If you don’t want the hospital, doctor, or a well-intentioned loved one making choices for your healthcare that you don’t agree with, spell out your wishes clearly in a Patient Advocate form.

The Patient Advocate form has many names, so don’t be confused if you hear these terms:  

  1. Medical Durable Power of Attorney
  2. Advanced Directive
  3. Living Will
  4. Do Not Resuscitate order

All of these terms basically involve the same subject: What are your wishes for your medical care if you can’t make the decisions for yourself?

If you don’t already have a Patient Advocate form in place, speak with your hospital or attorney.

In my upcoming blog posts, I’ll discuss other legal medical documents you need. STAY TUNED!

Have you ever had problems getting the hospital to allow you or your loved one to follow your wishes? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about your stay in a hospital, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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The Health Legal Documents You Need Before You Go to the Hospital

Terminally Ill Father

Many people go to the hospital completely unprepared. My father went to the hospital many times and we never thought he wouldn’t be coming home. But one time, he didn’t. Thank goodness we had all the documents we needed when that time came.

Even if you are being admitted to the hospital for a routine procedure, you should always have health legal documents in place in case something unexpected happens.  

What health legal documents should you have?

  1. Patient Advocate form
    Who will you want to make medical decisions for you if you can’t?  This is also called an advanced directive, living will or medical durable power of attorney.
  2. Power of Attorney
    The person who can do anything you can do legally, such as access your bank account or move your investments
  3. DNR
    A “Do Not Resuscitate” order, if you wish the hospital personnel not provide life saving measures
  4. Letter of Direction
    A document that tells your family what to do if you are incapacitated or die

It may seem silly to be thinking about these serious issues when you may only be going into the hospital for a minor matter or routine procedure. But the last thing you want is for your family to be left with the decisions about your care when they don’t know what you wanted done.

If you don’t already have these documents in place, speak with your hospital or attorney. 

In my upcoming blog posts, I’ll discuss these documents in more detail. STAY TUNED!

Have you ever had problems getting the hospital to allow you or your loved one to follow your wishes? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about your stay in a hospital, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

 

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Rest in a Hospital: Is it possible?

Sleeping patient with doctors behind in hospital room

Someone was telling me that she couldn’t wait to leave the hospital to get some rest at home. During her pregnancy she received plenty of advice that she should sleep while she was in the hospital because once she got home with the baby, there would be no rest. She found, however, that sleeping in the hospital was nearly impossible with nurses and doctors coming in to check on her at all hours, machines beeping, and the constant flurry of activity.

You may think that the hospital is a good place to recuperate and get some rest after a procedure, but getting rest in a hospital is difficult. The building runs 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. There is always something going on.

To get the best rest in a hospital for you or your loved one, consider these points:

  1. Ask for a private room.
    If you have a roommate, you will be subject to their noise which means their doctors, nurses, visitors, talking, coughing, and so on. Getting a private room ensures that at least you will only be subject to noise related to your care.
  2. Ask if you can be assigned to a quiet room or floor.
    This might not be possible as certain illnesses require that you have a room in a specific location. However, sometimes the person assigning you a room can select one that is away from the elevator or the nurses’ station so that it is quieter.
  3. Adhere to the visiting hours.
    It might be comforting to have your family and friends visit, but remember you are in the hospital to get rest and recover. You can always have visitors when you go home and are feeling better.
  4. Ask what is scheduled for you.
    Remember that hospitals often wake you up in the middle of the night or early in the morning for blood work or tests. Ask your doctor what is scheduled for when so you can sleep in between.
  5. If you have a roommate, ask your nurse to monitor how many visitors your roommate is having and their noise level.
    Everyone has the right to get rest in the hospital.

Rest in a hospital may not be easy, but with these tips you may be able to rest a little better.

What problems have you had when you were in the hospital?  I’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about your stay in a hospital, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!