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Advocate for Patients and the Environment, Too

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Among the dozens of details that needed attention after my father died, was figuring out what to do with the virtual pharmacy we found in his apartment. Dad was a firm believer of better living through chemistry – and he had dozens of prescription bottles, supplements and vitamins, patches and more, in the bathroom, the kitchen and next to his desk. I think CVS could have stocked up from his stash. Among them were drugs he had taken that hadn’t worked – so the entire rest of the prescription just got put away. We also found dozens of herbal supplements […]

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Advocating – It’s Like Nailing Jello to a Tree

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(No – that’s not Dad in the photo – but this gentleman is quite representative!) Last week I shared notes from my father’s hospital bedside as he began his recovery from back surgery. The majority of his hospital stay was safe and successful, although we continued to have big problems managing his pain throughout. Dad was discharged to a skilled nursing center to convalesce and begin rehab. He’s well on the road to recovery. We have much to be thankful for. As mentioned previously, my work does not typically include helping individual patients with their healthcare challenges. I write and

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Notes from the Hospital Bedside

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Dad had back surgery Friday morning. As many of you know, I don’t ordinarily work as a patient advocate. My work is about supporting patient advocates – so I look at these kinds of experiences as opportunities to learn, and to use some of the excellent advice I’ve learned from many of you over the years. I’m relieved to say – I haven’t had much opportunity to make a difference! Dad’s care has been quite good. So, as his advocate, my last 72 hours have been…. well…. boring. But there have been a few things I have observed, and a

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What Do Your Patient Clients Expect from You?

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Ilene Corina is a long-time patient safety advocate who often sits by patients’ bedsides in hospitals to keep them safe during their hospital stays. A recent blog post of hers asks the question: when a patient or caregiver hires a patient advocate, what do happens if, despite everyone’s best efforts, the outcomes are negative? Of course, the answer depends on a number of factors, including the fact that not all advocate services are cut and dried and easy to define. Further, I have to think that sometimes an advocate is hired with one set of expectations, as understood by the

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And Now a Word for Patients….

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Last week we recognized Private Professional Patient Advocates Week, and across the country, some great stories showed up in newspapers, on TV, online and in radio broadcasts sharing stories of patients and caregivers who have been helped and the advocates who have helped them. Some of the stories, both reviewed last week and over the past few years, are amazing – high end cancer protocols that were never mentioned by physicians, but were brought to patients by their advocates. Complementary therapies, and wellness strategies that patients feel have been useful to them. Thousands of dollars …

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Who Deserves a Patient Advocate’s Help?

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I’ve wrestled with this question more than once. It’s the question raised on occasion by those who talk about universal healthcare, and a for-profit healthcare system. It’s a question asked by those who are concerned that not everyone in the United States has access to healthcare. It’s asked by almost anyone who asks me what I do for a living. The question is, “Doesn’t providing private patient advocacy services only to those who can afford them, just create one more division between the “haves” and the “have nots?” Lots of soul searching, and more than a few conversations have produced

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Why Can’t Patients Be Their Own Advocates?

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Imagine – you suffer chest pains and are swept off to the ER. The pain meds leave you too groggy to make good decisions. Who will help you? Or – difficult symptoms result in a diagnosis that leaves you stunned. You leave the doctor’s office remembering very little of what you’ve been told. Now you aren’t even sure what to do next. Or – you’ve begun to find it confusing to keep track of all your medications. You’re concerned you’ll make a mistake. Which ones are you supposed to take with food? Or on an empty stomach? What about having

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