24 hour hospital help (was RE: (unknown))

[Guest guest]

pat wrote:

> someone to be there round the clock. i was there lots of

> days and nites, and then i had sitters who were nurses. the

> hospital staff was furious because i was meddling, but my gals

> caught the giving mom the wrong meds, and they bathed her,

> changed her, and fed her. some were nice and said that my

> sleeping there and having the help relieved them of their duties;

> others were offended. tough.

Hi Pat,

My sister and I did the same thing round the clock for our mom. My sister

took the day shift, I took the night shift. My sister at first chose to

just keep an eye on what was or was not being done for Mom. Hers was the

busier shift and she tried to stay out of everyone's way. While I was

receiving detailed instructions from an appreciative short-staffed night

shift of nurses on how to do more and more for Mom. The first time I did

things for Mom in front of my sister she about freaked out, saying, " How can

you be sure you're doing it right for Pete's sake! " I explained about the

help I was getting. Eventually she relaxed and even started doing more of

the physical things for Mom herself. At one point, at a shift change (can't

remember which of us was coming or going or whether it was evening or

morning) but we both straightened the tent over Mom's swollen weeping feet

and had a peep of each other through the tent, and started making faces at

each other as we did when we were children. All three of us started

laughing, my sister, me, and our Mom.

I learned many things from this experience and hope I never have to leave a

truly sick loved one alone in the hospital, ever. There are some wonderful

well-meaning people ocassionally making mistakes there (or just being too

overworked to do their best), and there are some who do not care as much as

others and who, for that reason alone, need to be watched. There are three

shifts and the nurses have day off schedules too which means new people all

the time, plus technicians, volunteers, etc etc -- It is no wonder the

person in charge cannot always remember what has been done for who. All in

all, I know without a single doubt Mom would never have been as comfortable

or as well cared for if we had not been there the whole 24 hours, every 24

hours, for her. I feel strongly enough about this to urge anyone to do the

same thing. Make yourself a pest if necessary. (But not to the patient of

course!) Do stay there. There are so many things you never know about

until you do.

Sedra

[Guest guest]

.. I feel strongly enough about this to urge anyone to do the

> same thing. Make yourself a pest if necessary. (But not to the

patient of

> course!) Do stay there. There are so many things you never know

about

one mail nurse was wonderful. when mom was there the month, and he

knew i was there sometimes 48 hours without a break, he found a

wonderful chair in materinity for me. all the other recliners had

been disabled, but not this one. it allowed me to sleep beside her

all nite, and allowed the sitters to relax a little too when mom was

napping.

well, when mom had a blockage less than a week after this, and we

rushed her back to ER and they admitted her, i asked for the same

wing. they had the chair in the room when we got there, andd the

guy said " hey, you take a lot of our work from us; we like you. "

of course, i also brought in about a dozen bags of candy every few

days and coffee.

they really hated the RNs i had because they would say " isn't that

supposed to go i slower " and the hospital nurse would say " well, i'm

in a hurry. " then, my nurse would tell the doctor, and the nurse

would be written up. i hate to have folks lose their jobs, and i'm

not a trouble maker, but when meds are given intravenous (sp??) too

quickly, i understand that's dangerous to the point of being fatal.

when they did something and said " would you step out of the room

please " i kindly refused and said " i tend for her at home; i'm her

daughter; she's unable to tell you things herself. i will stay " the

only time i left was when one surgical procedure was being done (the

IV was taken out of her arm and placed in teh jugular (or chest,

can't remember which), and they told me i'd probably faint. i got

lunch. lol pat