Hospital stays can be very disconcerting and this past week I found myself navigating the hospital system when my sweet mama had an unexpected stay. While I am no expert on hospitals I did come away with a few pointers that I thought I would share that might help one of my readers sometime down the road if they found themselves in a similar position. 
The hospital inventories each item the patient has upon arrival. My sister and I took my mom’s clothes home to wash them and did not tell the nurse. She was baffled when she was getting my mom ready to go home and there were no clothes. I had clean clothes in my car for her but had not communicated that that was what we had done so the poor thing was wondering how they disappeared. Lesson learned—don’t take something that has been inventoried.
This applies to everything from patient care to where things are within the hospital. It just makes it easier to ask someone or multiple someones to avoid confusion.
Most nurses and aids will offer warm blankets automatically but if not just ask if your loved one is chilly. Sometimes they will also offer to the family if your lips are turning blue. 🙂
If you are directionally challenged like me this makes it much easier to find your car especially if you are going out into the parking lot at night. Find a well lit area and park in the same spot each trip . Take a picture on your phone of the area if there are signs that are helpful for locating your car.
This helps not only the patient but the visitors. Hospital time is not real time for some reason. The days run into each other and it helps to see the day and date posted if the hospital does not do it already.
There are times when you just need a get away place. This can be when the patient is being attended to by nurses, in surgery or sleeping. It helps to know where a place of quiet and refuge can be found.
Just like the warm blankets a good sweater or sweatshirt is a must. Just don’t forget to take it with you when you leave.
With all the poking and prodding that goes on in hospitals sleep is elusive. If your loved one is sleeping let them sleep. They will thank you for that.
Everyone wants to see the patient and be assured that they are okay but it can be very tiring. Help ensure that visits are short and as non stressful as possible.
Social media is a great way to let our friends know what is going on but use it cautiously. Don’t give too much information in public places especially if you have not talked to the patient about it Posting that your loved one could use some prayers or good thoughts in a vague way is sometimes more helpful and safer than posting every single detail.
We found out that vending machines do not always work. Try to have a variety of bills and change in your possession if you want to use the machines. One we found did not like our bills but would take change. It is frustrating when they don’t work the way they should and usually that is the last thing to think about when a hospital situation arises but if you can be prepared it will help.
This is just a short list of simple things that we discovered this week. Hospital visits can be scary and frustrating but hopefully the tips here will help with your next visit to the hospital.
Do you have one of your own? Leave it in the comment section and help support our Comments for a Cause this month –the Connestee Falls Scholarship Fund.
