My grandmother fell and broke a hip in her late 80s, and indeed spent most of the rest of her years (she was 97 when she died) in a nursing home.
I heard a fabulous story on NPR a couple of years ago about how disorienting it is for older people to have to be hospitalized or to stay in a nursing home for any period of time. An older person might be quite capable and confident of their routines and self-care when in their own home and their own daily life, but the simple act of needing to be admitted to a facility for care -- and then the dizzying number of resulting tests, conversations, medical experts and so on -- can result in a huge loss of equilibrium and self-esteem.
In fact, because the hospital or nursing home caregivers don't know the person's capabilities, they don't see how different the patient is acting than they did in their daily life. That patient who is fearful of being in the hospital, is intimidated by all the medical personnel around him or her, and is unfamiliar with the routines and people surrounding them will not only not thrive, they can very well go downhill rapidly.
The story made me see that loved ones need family members around them almost constantly when something like this happens, both to be a filter for the doctors and nurses and to be support for the patient. Someone needs to be there to tell a doctor or nurse "No, that's not right, she's not ordinarily like this" and to be able to tell the patient "Hang in there. We'll get you better and get you out of here."
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My grandmother fell and broke a hip in her late 80s, and indeed spent most of the rest of her years (she was 97 when she died) in a nursing home.
I heard a fabulous story on NPR a couple of years ago about how disorienting it is for older people to have to be hospitalized or to stay in a nursing home for any period of time. An older person might be quite capable and confident of their routines and self-care when in their own home and their own daily life, but the simple act of needing to be admitted to a facility for care -- and then the dizzying number of resulting tests, conversations, medical experts and so on -- can result in a huge loss of equilibrium and self-esteem.
In fact, because the hospital or nursing home caregivers don't know the person's capabilities, they don't see how different the patient is acting than they did in their daily life. That patient who is fearful of being in the hospital, is intimidated by all the medical personnel around him or her, and is unfamiliar with the routines and people surrounding them will not only not thrive, they can very well go downhill rapidly.
The story made me see that loved ones need family members around them almost constantly when something like this happens, both to be a filter for the doctors and nurses and to be support for the patient. Someone needs to be there to tell a doctor or nurse "No, that's not right, she's not ordinarily like this" and to be able to tell the patient "Hang in there. We'll get you better and get you out of here."
November 11, 2008 - 5:50pmThis Comment
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