A Grandmother's love and Why it's important to advocate for your loved ones
A GRANDMOTHER'S LOVE
Grandmothers are special aren't they? From the moment you are born, they have a overwhelming desire to love and bond with you! There's nothing to truly describe the bond between a grandmother and grandchild. My Grandmother is so special to me! She has taught me so much over the years. Her love of sewing, cooking and family will always be something I look up to and strive to have. She is someone who you will always feel a warm welcome from and who you can talk to about your worries with ease. (And guess what, if she doesn't have an answer that can help...she'll just whip up a pie to cheer you right up! ) I do and will always have a special place in my heart for her.When I first started taking care of my Grandma, It was very simple. We would run errands together, Shop, Go to appointments but with aging, it has blossomed into more full time care. Please don't get me wrong, this has never seemed like full time "work" because I truly enjoy getting to spend time together but there is a significant difference in her care from the start to now. Now we go to multiple Doctor appointments each week, we have nurses that come into the home 2-3 times weekly, we have multiple and extended hospital stays, we worry about falls or sickness (I can't tell you how many times we have had to make decisions on is this a true emergency...should we go to the ER or is this something that can be waited out) These things happen with age or with sickness and are to be expected. What I didn't expect was the overwhelming need to advocate for her. This in and of itself has been the most eye opening experience about the way Elderly are looked upon in Healthcare.
Why it's important to advocate for your loved ones
Oftentimes when people age they lose their ability to stand up for themselves. Their fight or apprehensiveness about a situation can be lost or swayed. Without an advocate, they could fall into this trap (And I don't say trap lightly) of being swayed into making decisions that they once might not have made. About a year ago was the first time I really began to notice the need for an advocate when dealing with my Grandmother's health. We had been at the ER for most of the evening and were told that the reasons for her coming in were due to her advanced age and that there was no real reason to admit her into the hospital. We knew there was something else going on, I mean come on, she has been an "Advanced Age" for sometime now. That just wasn't a good enough answer for us. After standing our ground, giving push back and voicing our concerns, it turns out she had sepsis! Which is a scary infection and it can be devastating if not caught early enough and treated. What if we wouldn't have been there and they sent her home? What if she went into Septic Shock? To many what if's could be mentioned here and thankfully she was able to be admitted and treated but how did this happen? How did they miss this and blame it on her age?
Hospitals and Emergency rooms are busting at the seams. Most are understaffed and Doctors & Nurses are being run ragged. Emergency rooms have turned into 6-8+ hours wait for some people. Perhaps some of this is from all of the non-emergencies coming in and I'm sure that they all go in a severity order but that is just so unreal to me. I always try to remember these things when we are there. Even with all of this said, don't let that stop you from voicing your concerns as long as they are valid. Even on the busiest of days, if your loved one isn't being treated with a plan that you and the love one agree on....Stand up and voice your concerns.
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