Patient planning.

摘要

When someone with diabetes is hospitalized, it's important for you, the caregiver, to have a game plan. Experts share their tips for how to make hospital stays less stressful-and returns home safer. Be Part of the Health Care Team You are already part of your loved one's diabetes care team. So don't be afraid to assert yourself and get answers from doctors and nurses, says John Schall, CEO of the National Family Caregivers Association. "Make it very clear that you're the caregiver and that you want to be a resource to the team in the hospital," he says. That includes providing information. You're likely to be asked many questions about your loved one's medical history. It's helpful to have that written down, along with a list of his or her allergies, medications, and doses. Don't assume it's already in your loved one's chart-sometimes doctors are moving fast and there are gaps between providers. Working with the nurses, "your greatest ally," Schall says, will help you get to the nitty-gritty of the hospital care. Jackie Bradley, 51, of Portage, Mich., became part of her father-in-law's care team when he was hospitalized for a hip injury last summer. When sorting out his medical information, Bradley, who herself has type 2 diabetes, found that her type 2 father-in-law, Jim Rowan, had some major holes in his diabetes management. He insisted that he had to take medications only twice a day, while the labels clearly indicated he should have been taking several of them three or four times a day, she says. "He also had medications prescribed by four different doctors, yet was following instructions given to him from his previous doctor [whom he saw 10 years ago]." By working with the hospital team, Bradley was able to streamline Rowan's diabetes self-care, too.