Category Archives: Before You Get Sick

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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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How to Avoid Summer Injuries

lawnmowerDid you know that emergency room visits jump 20 percent every summer? Almost half of the unintentional deaths from children under the age of 14 occur during the 3 months of summer. As a single mom that worked full-time, I was always worried about keeping my girls safe while they had time off in the summer months.  

Here are some of the common summer injuries and how you can prevent them:

  1. Children often fall out of windows during the summer months. Screens are meant to pop out for fire safety and are not meant to keep children inside. Always supervise your children around windows and keep windows closed upstairs.
  2. People often get burned in the summer months from fire pits that burn very hot. Make sure everyone treats the fire pit like any camp fire. Remember the fire pit remains hot long after the fire is out.
  3. Lawn mowers often cause a variety of injuries in the summer. Make sure to wear tight-fitting shoes and do not operate the lawn mower after dusk when it is difficult to see.
  4. Swimming often causes a variety of summer injuries especially when the water is cold and moving swiftly. Every swimmer should know their limits. It is best for children to swim only where there is a lifeguard on duty.
  5. Boaters should exercise boat safety. Wear life jackets and observe all the proper boating rules.
  6. When driving, make sure everyone wears their seat belt and children are in the appropriate car seats.  
  7. Young drivers are especially at risk in the summer. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for U.S. teens. Make sure that young drivers practice a lot with an adult. Also, all young drivers should avoid having passengers which may distract them.

What are you doing to prevent summer injuries for you and your family? I’d love to hear from you!

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your HealthCare Your Way!

Learn more about what to do when things don’t go as planned with my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. You can get it FREE right now by subscribing to our blog.